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THE WEDDING SINGER,

EARNS FIVE 2006 TONY NOMINATIONS,

INCLUDING BEST MUSICAL

AND BEST ACTOR IN A MUSICAL FOR STAR STEPHEN LYNCH

 

The Wedding Singer, the new Broadway musical based on the popular 1998 New Line Cinema film, received five 2006 Tony Award nominations today, including one for best musical, and one for best actor in a musical for the show’s star, Stephen Lynch.

The nominations also included best book of a musical (Chad Beguelin and Tim Herlihy); best original score (music by Matthew Sklar; lyrics by Chad Beguelin); and best choreography (Rob Ashford).  Messrs. Lynch, Sklar, Beguelin, and Herlihy are all making their Broadway debuts with The Wedding Singer.

The Wedding Singer, which is directed by John Rando, is currently playing Broadway’s Al Hirschfeld Theatre, 302 West 45 Street.  It had its world premiere at Seattle’s 5^th Avenue Theatre in February 2006 where the show broke house box office records.  The show’s original cast recording will be released by Masterworks Broadway on June 6, 2006.

With a brand new score that pays loving homage to the pop songs of the 1980’s and a design that captures the styles and spirit that marked the decade, The Wedding Singer takes us back to 1985, a time when hair was big, greed was good, collars were up, and a wedding singer just might be the coolest guy in the room.

In this original musical, rock-star wannabe Robbie Hart is New Jersey’s favorite wedding singer.  He’s the life of the party, the ultimate master of ceremonies, the leader of the line dance, the unlikely hero of every party, and a true believer in the power of love—until his own fiancée leaves him at the altar.  Shot through the heart, Robbie becomes a newlywed’s worst nightmare—a wedding singer bent on destroying other people’s weddings.  Enter Julia, a winsome waitress who wins his affection and helps Robbie pick up the pieces of his own heart.  Only trouble is Julia is about to be married to a Wall Street shark, and unless Robbie can pull off the performance of the decade, the girl of his dreams will be gone forever.

Growing up in the woods ofNorthern Michigan, Stephen Lynch always had music in his life.  But it wasn’t until he saw the film This is Spinal Tap that he found his direction—to be a comedic singer songwriter.  He moved toNew York in 1996 and began playing the city’s comedy clubs and alternative comedy venues disarming audiences with his sweet voice and blindsiding them with his sharp, clever lyrics.  In 2000, Mr. Lynch released his own “Comedy Central Presents” special, which was one of the network’s highest rated specials, and shortly thereafter released his first cd, A Little Bit Special, which was labeled an “instant comedy classic” by CD-Now.  In 2002, he released his second album, Superhero.  In 2005 iTunes named the recordings two of the best-selling independent albums in the site’s history.  His DVD, “Live at The El Rey,” was released in 2004.  Mr. Lynch has performed at the Just For Laughs Comedy Festival; has been featured on Comedy Central’s “The World Comedy Tour” and “The World Stand’s Up;” and has been a frequent guest on “Last Call with Carson Daly.”  He completed a 44-city tour in 2004-05 and toured more than two dozen cities this fall to promote his new cd, The Craig Machine, which was recorded live at Symphony Space.

Matthew Sklar is writing a stage adaptation of Get Shorty for Live Nation and MGM-Onstage.  Other shows include The Rhythm Club (Signature Theater), Wicked City (American Stage Company, Mason Street Warehouse), and many Disney projects being performed worldwide.  Matthew has worked extensively as a pianist and conductor for many Broadway productions including Les Miserables, Nine, Titanic, Caroline or Change, Miss Saigon, and42nd Street.  He is a recipient of the Gilman & Gonzalez-Falla Musical Theater Award and the Jonathan Larson Performing Arts Foundation Award.  The Wedding Singer marks his Broadway debut.

Chad Beguelin is writing a musical version of Get Shorty for Live Nation and MGM.  His past credits include the book and lyrics for The Rhythm Club (The Signature Theater), Wicked City (The American Stage Company, The Mason Street Warehouse), and the book for Disney's stage version of Aladdin (Hyperion Theater).  His awards include the Edward Kleban Award for Outstanding Lyric Writing, the Jonathan Larson Performing Arts Foundation Award, and the Gilman & Gonzalez-Falla Musical Theater Award.  The Wedding Singer marks his Broadway debut.

 

Tim Herlihy has written or co-written the films Billy Madison, Happy Gilmore, The Wedding Singer, The Waterboy, Big Daddy, Little Nicky and Mr. Deeds, and was an executive producer of the films Anger Management and The Longest Yard.  A former attorney, he also served as head writer of the television variety series “Saturday Night Live,” for which he received an Emmy nomination.  The Wedding Singer marks his Broadway debut.

Rob Ashford is the 2002 Tony Award winner for his choreography for Thoroughly Modern Millie. Other choreography credits include The Boys from Syracuse (Roundabout), Marty (Huntington), Bloomer Girl, Connecticut Yankee, Tenderloin (Encores!), Time & Again (Manhattan Theatre Club), Dawn Upshaw (Lincoln Center), Pippin(Paper Mill), A Christmas Carol (McCarter), True History (Vineyard), Thoroughly Modern Millie (La Jolla).  He was Kathleen Marshall's associate for Kiss Me, Kate (Broadway); Saturday Night (Second Stage); and Babes in Arms (Encores!). He is a graduate ofPoint Park College inPittsburgh.

The Wedding Singer is produced by Margo Lion, New Line Cinema, The Araca Group, Roy Furman, Doug Meyer/James D. Stern Productions, Rick Steiner/The Staton Bell Osher Mayerson Group, Jam Theatricals, in association with Jujamcyn Theaters and Jay Furman, Michael Gill, Dr. Lawrence Horowitz, Marisa Sechrest, Gary Winnick, DANCAP Productions, Inc., and Elan V. McAllister/Allan S. Gordon/Adam Epstein.

The Wedding Singer plays Tuesday at 7pm; Wednesday through Saturday at 8pm; Wednesday and Saturday at 2pm; and Sunday at 3pm at Broadway’s Al Hirschfeld Theatre, 302 West 45 Street.  Tickets are $56.25 – $111.25 and may be purchased by phoning Telecharge at 212 239 6200 or by visiting telecharge.com.  For group sales, phone 212 302 7000 or 800 677 1164.  For information about The Wedding Singer, visit www.theweddingingerthemusical.com.