Set in the ‘80s during the realm of junk bonds, MTV, “Dynasty,” Duran Duran and leg warmers, lead character Robbie Hart lives in his grandmother’s basement in New Jersey and sings in a wedding band. His dreams of being a singer/songwriter are long gone, replaced now by a burning desire to find the right girl and settle down. When his fiancée leaves him standing at the altar, he becomes a wedding planner’s worst nightmare, taking out his bitterness on stage until his eye and heart turn to a new friend, Julia, but she’s engaged to a wealthy Wall Street broker. “Awesome! Audiences haven’t had this much fun since Mamma Mia! ,” says Jess Cagle, WCBS TV/People Magazine. Much of that fun comes from the tuneful and funny original score by two of Broadway’s freshest young award-winning talents, composer Matthew Sklar and lyricist Chad Beguelin. Plus, The Wedding Singer has a hilarious, romantic book by Chad Beguelin and Tim Herlihy, the screenwriter of the movie and former “Saturday Night Live” head writer.

The Wedding Singer is directed by Tony Award-winner John Rando with choreography by Tony Award-winner Rob Ashford and Tony Award-winning set designer Scott Pask. It was nominated for Five Tony Awards including Best Musical, eight Drama Desk Awards including Outstanding Musical, three Drama League Awards including Distinguished Production of a Musical and four Broadway.com Audience Awards including Favorite New Broadway Musical.

Tim Herlihy wrote the screenplay for the film “The Wedding Singer” and also made a cameo appearance in the film as a bartender. A former head writer for “Saturday Night Live,” he also penned the screenplays for “Mr. Deeds,” “Little Nicky,” “Big Daddy,” “The Waterboy,” “Happy Gilmore” and “Billy Madison.” He was executive producer for the Jack Nicholson/Adam Sandler film “Anger Management” and served in the same capacity for the hit comedy “The Longest Yard.”

Chad Beguelin is a recipient of The Edward Kleban Award for Outstanding Lyric Writing, the Jonathan Larson Performing Arts Foundation Award, and was selected as one of Variety’s “50 Creatives to Watch.” Chad wrote the book and lyrics for The Rhythm Club (Helen Hayes Nomination), Wicked City, and wrote the book for Disney’s stage version of Aladdin. He is the recipient of the Edward Kleban Award for Outstanding Lyric Writing, the Jonathan Larson Performing Arts Foundation Award and the Gilman & Gonzalez-Falla Musical Theatre Award.

Matthew Sklar’s original works include The Rhythm Club, Wicked City and several projects for Disney, which are currently running in destinations worldwide. He was worked extensively as a pianist and conductor for many Broadway musicals including Nine, Les Miserables, Titanic, Caroline or Change, Miss Saigon, and 42nd Street. Matthew is a recipient of the Gilman & Gonzalez-Falla Musical Theatre Award and the Jonathan Larson Performing Arts Foundation Award.

The Wedding Singer director John Rando is the Tony Award-winning director of Urinetown. Last year, he directed The Downtown Plays, the centerpiece of the inaugural Tribeca Theater Festival. In other Broadway productions he directed Neil Simon’s The Dinner Party and Tom Selleck in A Thousand Clowns.

Choreographer Rob Ashford is the Tony Award-winning choreographer of Thoroughly Modern Millie. He has staged the dances for dozens of New York and London productions including the recent Kander and Ebb musical, Curtains and the West End revival of Guys and Dolls starring Ewan McGregor.

The Wedding Singer set designer Scott Pask won the Tony-Award for his design of The Pillowman. Other Broadway productions include The Coast of Utopia, Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me, The Vertical Hour, Take Me Out, Urinetown, La Cage aux Folles, Sweet Charity, Little Shop of Horrors, Nine and Amour.

Wall Street Journal theatre critic Terry Teachout called The Wedding Singer, “A huge hit! An ingenious and amusing musical with a blue-chip pedigree. Crammed full of ‘80s pop-culture references, most of which are very funny. The show delivers what it promises, and if you long to laugh yourself silly, it’ll do the trick.”

TICKET INFORMATION
Individual tickets are on sale now and range from $22 to $72 depending upon performance time and seating preference. All prices include applicable facility fees. Additional charges may apply. Tickets may be purchased at the State Theatre box office (805 Hennepin Avenue, Minneapolis, 55402), online at HennepinTheatreDistrict.org or through Ticketmaster: 612-673-0404 or ticketmaster.com. Tickets are also available through the flexible “Pick Your Own Package” at the State Theatre Box Office, by calling the Season Ticket Hotline at 1-800-859-7469 or online at HennepinTheatreDistrict.org.

Performance dates for The Wedding Singer are Tuesday, September 25 through Sunday, September 30, 2007 at the Orpheum Theatre, 910 Hennepin Avenue, Minneapolis, 55403. Show times are Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at 7:30 p.m.; Friday at 8 p.m.; Saturday at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.

Groups of 15 or more please call 612-373-5665 for information and reservations.

HENNEPIN THEATRE TRUST
Hennepin Theatre Trust is a non-profit performing arts organization dedicated to enhancing the cultural and economic vitality of the Hennepin Theatre District. With a focus on engaging community members in a diverse array of live performances and educational experiences, the Trust’s annual presentations include the M&I Bank Broadway Across America – Minneapolis Season, National Geographic Live! Speaker’s Series and an eclectic range of variety entertainment including theatre, dance, comedy and music. The Trust’s additional community programming includes the SpotLight Musical Theatre Program, Critical View (a student reviewer program), the Starbucks Ticket Access Program and Kids’ Night on Broadway. Nearly 500,000 patrons visit the Trust’s State, Orpheum and Pantages Theatres annually.

BROADWAY ACROSS AMERICA
Broadway Across America presents first-rate touring Broadway shows, family productions and other live theatrical events throughout a network of over 40 North American cities. A leader in subscription series programs and group ticketing, Broadway Across America is dedicated to creating memorable and accessible experiences for all guests, selling over 5 million tickets to over 3,000 performances each year. As a producer, current and recent Broadway productions include: Hairspray, Chicago, Monty Python’s Spamalot and The Producers. It also manages, operates or consults in the operation of 13 theatres across North America. For more information or to purchase tickets through an authorized agent go to BroadwayAcrossAmerica.com.