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LEHIGH VALLEY WEATHER

‘The Wedding Singer’ is a marriage of comedy, romance

WHS cast set to take the stage March 26-29

A jilted New Jersey crooner finds new love with “The Wedding Singer: The Musical Comedy,” planned for 7 p.m. March 26, 27 and 28 and 2 p.m. March 29 in the Whitehall High School auditorium, 3800 Mechanicsville Road.

Dumped by his fiancée at the altar, wedding singer Robbie Hart and Julia Sullivan, a waitress engaged to a Wall Street shark, discover mutual affection amid a backdrop of 1980s nostalgia.

With music by Matthew Sklar, lyrics by Chad Beguelin and a book by Beguelin and Tim Herlihy, “The Wedding Singer” is based on the 1998 New Line Cinema film of the same name by Herlihy, starring Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore.

Premiering on Broadway in 2006, the musical was nominated for five Tony Awards.

Production numbers include “It’s Your Wedding Day,” “Pop!,” “Casualty of Love,” “All About the Green,” “Someday” and “Grow Old With You.”

The cast of the Whitehall High School Theatre Department production includes Benito Ortiz as Robbie Hart, Lila Mensher as Julia Sullivan, Mia Millen as Holly, Alyse Collier as Sammy, Leoniah Cruz as Linda/featured dancer, Jacobi Rosado as Glen Guglia, Davey Dangler as George Stitzer, Averie Wechsler as Rosie/dance captain, Ava Kneller as Aunt Angie/featured dancer, Madison Berg as Bride/dance captain, Sanaah Reed as David/ensemble, Aaron Marquez as Mookie/Robbie’s understudy and Giorgia Dal Maso as Waitress/featured dancer/Julia’s understudy.

Additional cast members include Juliana Camfield, Alyssa Ebert, Ava Higgins, Zechariah Rutt, Madison Schin, Anya Bogucki, Amerina Raub, Emily Wilson, Makenzie Gery, T’nai Laronde, Amelia Martinez Estrella, Rhea Desilva, Gionni Flores, Ellie Ramsay, Ayrrielah Spann Rodriguez, Josiah Tejada and Yelena Urquiza.

Conductor Benjamin Stefan directs orchestra musicians Amal Shokr, Elaine Ramirez, John Huie, Liam Mulligan, Mike Lorenz, Kellen Pisani, Zienab Azim, Nico Kresge, Madison Apple, Anna Pimentel, Kyle Hummel, Michael Tanzos, Austyn Venanzi, Ben Kern, Grace Kemmerer and Mariam Omar.

Producer/director Cara Craft is assisted by choreographer Melissa Zimmer, assistant choreographer Gio Failla, vocal director Elaine Ramirez and technical director Alex Witcher. Set construction is headed by Maliya Mendez, and costume design is by Laura O’Donnell.

For tickets, go to cur8.com/16049/project/136972.

PRESS PHOTOS BY ED COURRIER“A Note From Linda” is sung by Leoniah Cruz as Linda as she leaves Benito Ortiz as Robbie Hart heartbroken at the altar during a rehearsal for Whitehall High School’s production of “The Wedding Singer.” Showtimes are set for 7 p.m. March 26, 27 and 28 and 2 p.m. March 29.
Benito Ortiz as Robbie Hart sings “If I Told You” about his feelings for Julia Sullivan.
Still suffering from being jilted, Benito Ortiz as Robbie Hart wrecks his band’s wedding reception gig with “Casualty of Love.”
From left, Mia Millen as Holly, Lila Mensher as Julia Sullivan and Ava Kneller as Aunt Angie sing “Pop!” ahead of Julia’s date with Glen.
Lila Mensher as Julia Sullivan coaxes Benito Ortiz as Robbie Hart out of a dumpster after an angry wedding party threw him in.