FAYETTEVILLE — Time spent at the Walton Arts Center last week helped the cast and crew of the national touring production of The Wedding Singer prepare its 'A' game.
Though company members have been together since April, the Fayetteville arts center is the largest venue in which they've performed. Shows today and Tuesday will mark the start of an 87-city tour.
Tickets range from $30.50 to $45.50 for 7 p.m. productions today and Tuesday.
Past experiences with the arts center made members of the company want to return to Fayetteville to launch this tour, something that has been in the works for about a year.
In the past few months of previews, the company has performed The Wedding Singer in smaller venues before audiences of about 200. But the Walton Arts Center boasts 1,201 seats and has more room on stage and backstage, which alters how they do things.
Because the Walton stage is higher than other centers, the crew finally can use some set pieces they couldn't fit into the smaller theaters. During one scene, a pub bar transforms into lighted steps on which several men do a dance number.
"We've never done the 'A'show because we've never had this space," said Matt Munson, an ensemble member. "Things flying in, people up on different levels. This is all new for us."
The Wedding Singer is a love song to the 1980s - think Madonna's lace gloves, Swatch watches, parachute pants and Michael Jackson's Thriller dance - with choreography in the vein of the early music video days ofMTV. Set in 1980s New Jersey, the show is based on the 1998 movie starring Adam Sandler as Robbie and Drew Barrymore as Julia and includes two songs that Sandler and screenwriter Tim Herlihy wrote for the film. After Robbie's financee leaves him at the altar, he turns to his friend, Julia, with whom he falls in love.
"They try to do what Hairspray did to the '60s," director Seth Reines said of the Broadway show's producers. Reines works for Prather Entertainment Group, the producer of the touring show.
Unlike shows that rehearse three or four weeks and then have a few previews, this company spent about three months at two of the production company's theaters to try it on small audiences before taking it on the road.
"We've literally had 14 weeks of previews, so we know what works, what doesn't work," Reines said.
They plan different versions of the show for various sizes of venues, rating them 'A' through 'D,' with 'A' being the biggest stage with the most storage space. The Walton Arts Center is an 'A' space, with things like "wings," or space on each side of the stage for the entrance and exit of actors and sets, and a "fly system" of chains and pulleys that allows set pieces to be floated above the floor when not in use.
They've been able to bring out all the sets and props and put them to use for the first time.
Many of the Broadway sets, props and costumes are beingused at the arts center. They built another closet for "Holly," since hers didn't make it on the semitrailer. And they're creating a piece for the scene in which a wedding dress is revealed. They also had to create some costumes that can be laundered instead of dry cleaned.
Many cast members are veterans of Prather productions and previously have worked together. For cast members Adam Clough, Ben Martin, April Monte and Munson, this is the first time all four are in a show together.
Monte plays Holly, a very materialistic Madonna fan. The 34-year-old remembers the '80s and gives tips to the 20-something cast members on how to wear styles. Monte said a speech filled with 1980s song titles within the first few moments of the show signals how the audience will react.
"We know if the audience isn't laughing at the song titles, then we have to do certain things in the show to get the '80s references out there," Monte said.
At smaller theaters, Munson, the show's dance captain, is responsible for respacing dance numbers to accommodate fewer dancers. After this time at the Walton Arts Center, they'll be prepared for any size stage.
Crew members arrived in Fayetteville last weekend with two semitrailers of equipment, sets and costumes. They spent Monday putting sets in position and working the shifts between scenes. The next three days were spent lighting the show, position by position,and adjusting choreography. Four dress rehearsals followed Friday through Sunday.
When a company starts a production in the area, it allows patrons to get a first look at a national tour, said Jennifer Ross, the arts center's programming director.
This is the sixth national musical tour to be launched at the arts center in its 17-year history. The others were A Chorus Line, The Music Man, Blast, Aida and The Graduate, in which Morgan Fairchild premiered her role as Mrs.Robinson in 2004.
"In a market our size, we don't always get a first-run tour or even a premiere here," Ross said.
Aida led to The Wedding Singer. Matt Jameson, general manager for The Wedding Singer, was the head carpenter on Aida in 2006. He recommended the arts center to Prather as a good place to open a show. And Reines had a good experience soon after the arts center opened in 1992, when the tech crew helped him re-light a show before continuing its tour.
The company and the arts center started planning this show about a year ago, and the company wanted to do the technical work the week the arts center is not presenting public performances because of the Bikes, Blues and BBQ motorcycle rally.
"We're excited to be able to put our local crew to work," Ross said.
University of Arkansas drama students participated last week in a master class at Starr Theater with the production's director and music director, learning about professional auditions and practicing auditions, Ross said.
Ross said there was another benefit for more than 30 company and crew members spending 10 days preparing for the opening.
"They're buying food. They're going shopping. They're going to all the fun and funky places on Dickson Street," Ross said.
The 87-city tour includes a performance Feb. 11 at the Alma Performing Arts Center before wrapping up at the end of March in New Haven, Conn.
Northwest Arkansas, Pages 7, 14 on 09/28/2009