by Dominic Dietrich ’24
The new fall musical is on the horizon, but with an 80’s tune to go with it! A more comedic and light-hearted musical filled with an 1980’s America aesthetic, The Wedding Singer is a surprising new addition to the lineup of Bellarmine theater performances this year, replacing the usual Fall Drama. This week, we interviewed Mr. Lum, the lead director of the show, to get some insight into what to expect with this upcoming performance.
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Mr. Lum – Wedding Singer Lead Director
Q. Bellarmine usually has a Fall Drama to start off the year, what compelled you and the theater department to change that and do a fall musical instead?
A. So the Fall Drama has always been around since the 80’s, we never changed it until now, but now we’re trying new things and being more experimental. COVID has been rough, and that affected the theater industry and our programs massively. We couldn’t do shows when the pandemic was around. This led to a declining interest in theater, and so to reinvigorate interest and more opportunity for aspiring actors, we decided to perform two musicals for fall and winter instead of a Fall Drama. A Fall Drama doesn’t give many roles, because they focus on six to seven characters, so we’ve considered double-casting. A Winter Musical, however, gives more opportunity for roles and gives actors more to do. Also, we’ve already had enough doom and gloom the last two years, why not have a laugh?
Q. What can The Wedding Singer contribute to our audience?
A. Well first, I think it’s very funny. It’s a musical comedy involving an 80’s aesthetic. There are many 80’s references and celebrity impersonations similar to what you would see in Las Vegas during that time. It is very entertaining seeing these callbacks and jokes to the Reagan era. While it has a more emphasis on comedy, it has a great and meaningful story, I think everybody can enjoy it!
Q. And when is The Wedding Singer going to release for our audiences?
A. Currently, it will release November 3rd to 4th, and the 10th to 12th!
~~~~~ Spoilers Ahead: Read at your discretion! ~~~~~
Q. Can you give us a short synopsis of the Wedding Singer?
A. Sure! The Wedding Singer is about a musician from New Jersey in the 1980’s, a hotspot known for its musicians like Billy Joel. He’s pretty much on top of the world; he’s part of a successful band, playing for clients in one of the major cities for music at the time, and he has a fiancé he’s marrying pretty soon. That changes when his fiancé stands him up at the altar. He goes on a downward spiral, and has to grow and pick himself back up and be a better man.
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As you’ve heard from Mr. Lum, The Wedding Singer will start its performances on November the 3rd. If you’re interested in comedy, musicals, or the 80’s vibes and culture, get a ticket for the performance, and we will see you in the Sobrato Theatre!
