Stony Point’s ‘Wedding Singer’ to premiere Wednesday

By James Grob, jgrob@charlescitypress.com

After over a year of staying home, Griffin Franksain is hoping that this week’s Stony Point Players’ production of “The Wedding Singer” can bring people out for some live entertainment.

“People are going to get to see a great show, put on by people who absolutely love what they’re doing,” Franksain said. “They’ve all put together something here that is bigger than themselves, and they are really enjoying it.”

Franksain plays the title role in the production, which will run Wednesday, Thursday and Friday this week at North Grand Auditorium in Charles City. All shows start at 7 p.m. Tickets can still be purchased online at ShowTix4U.com, and will also be available at the door before the show.

Franksain played a lead role in Charles City High School’s spring production, and has had other major and principal roles in other productions, but none as big as Robbie Hart, the main character in “The Wedding Singer.”

“It’s my first really big part,” Franksain said. “It’s been a really big challenge for me and I’ve loved it.”

“The Wedding Singer” is a musical comedy with music by Matthew Sklar, lyrics by Chad Beguelin, and a book by Beguelin and Tim Herlihy. It is based on the 1998 film of the same name, which starred Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore.

The musical comedy revolves around Franksain’s character — who sings at weddings — his failed relationships and his romance with a new love, Julia, who is played by Olivia Wolfe.

“It’s a little bit higher than my normal vocal range, so it was challenging at first, but I think I’m getting the hang of it,” Franksain said.

Franksain talked about differences between what’s expected of an actor in a high school production and what’s expected from the Stony Point Players.

“That first week of memorization was a lot for me. I’ve never had so much to memorize,” he said. “They were on me. They wanted me and everyone to be memorized quickly.”

Wolfe, who has played many lead roles — including the role of Dorothy in Stony Point’s production of “The Wizard of Oz” three years ago — said that it’s “absolutely wonderful” to be back in a musical production.

“I’m so happy to be back on stage with all my friends,” Wolfe said. “It’s so nice to have a sense of normalcy back after everything that has happened.”

Wolfe said this show is one of her favorites, of the many shows she’s been in so far. It is known for its frequent nods to 1980s pop culture and style, with songs written and performed in the pop and rock style prevalent during that decade. Although Wolfe was not yet born in the 1980s, she said she has enjoyed learning about the 80s from all the 80s references in the show.

“If you’re an older person, you’re definitely going to have a lot of fun with all the 80s quips,” Wolfe said. “I think that everyone who comes is really going to enjoy it.”

Among the other principal characters in the production, Julia’s cousin Holly will be played by McKenna Oleson, while Robbie’s band mates Sammy and George will be played by Anders Haglund and Michael Peterson.

Antagonists Linda and Glen will be played by Madi Lincoln and Jeff Kellogg. Grandma Rosie will be played by Linda Hughes, while Julia’s mother, Angie, will be played by Lynn Bauer. Dozens of other actors and singers of all ages in the community make up the rest of the cast.

The show is directed by Michelle Grob, with musical director Derek Sturtevant. The set design is by Janiece Bergland, and the elaborate costuming was done by Sandy Peterson. Rosie Baldus is the stage manager for the production.