Chicago Reader - Not Recommended
"...1980s pop hits, Drew Barrymore), futzed unnecessarily with the plot, hammered home the money-can't-buy-happiness theme like no one had ever thought of it before, tossed in a few token gays, pretended the women's movement never happened, and injected a mediocre, plot-stalling musical number every four minutes. And poof: 95 minutes of lightweight Hollywood charm became two and a half hours of boring musical comedy. Haven Theatre's revival of this 2006 stinkbomb gives director Jess McLeod the opportunity to transform talented performers into impersonal cogs in a sluggish faux-retro machine."
Windy City Times - Recommended
"...Tony Allan and Aja Wiltshire ( an alumna of Griffin's Spring Awakening ) are an immediately charming pair of reluctant sweethearts, flanked by Sarah Bockel, Daniel Martinez and Alex Heika as their cynical sidekicks, while Jacob Grubb makes a suitably slimy Mister Wrong and Judy Lea Steele steals the show as Rob's rapping granny. The catalyzing factor, however, is an ensemble that sprints through lightning costume changes to portray everything from breakdancing corporate executives to Cindy Lauper and Nancy Reagan lookalikes."
Centerstage - Somewhat Recommended
"...Besides a pedestrianly predictable story line, designer Dan Stratton hasn’t successfully solved the show’s cinematic scenic problems. He wisely utilizes levels, but his clunky wooden staircases say Atlantic City more than New Jersey. James Beaudry’s exciting choreography, however, is the production’s highlight and his ensemble executes it with energy and style; and Kory Danielson’s four-member band provides excellent accompaniment that makes this musical rock. If formulaic confections infused with retro tunes and performed by talented triple threats quickens your pulse, have I got a match for you."
Time Out Chicago - Recommended
"...On its own, the show is respectable and fun. Its score is catchy and clever and scenes and plotlines that have been added to the movie's structure work, for the most part. The trouble is, with a work based on such familiar material, the chasm between a production putting its own unique stamp on the story and a production attempting to imitate the original version is a dangerous one in which to fall. As much as I enjoyed the show, I wasn't sure if I was hoping for a more imaginative interpretation or a more authentic reproduction. Either way I wanted a little bit more."
Chicago Stage and Screen - Recommended
"...Tony Allen does nice, understated work as the title character with his casually relaxed singing style. Aja Wiltshire delivers a heart-felt authentic performance as Julia, and her singing is quite good. The character roles are all effectively and often hilariously drawn. Daniel Martinez and Alex Heika are great as the band members. The featured young woman - Sarah Bockel as Julia's best friend and Jill Sesso as Robbie's ex - both shine. And Jacob Grubb is properly smarmy as the fiance. The fine ensemble players - Kelley Abell, Teressa LaGamba, Garret Lutz, Jeff Meyer, Amy Rapp and especially Joe Capstick - really deliver in ways that are nearly invisible, but so important. Congrats to all."
Let's Play at ChicagoNow - Recommended
"...Haven’s THE WEDDING SINGER is a rocking, sweet frolic. The look and sound is fun! It reminds us any day is a “Nice day for a white wedding.”"
Chicago Theatre Review - Recommended
"...All in all the Wedding Singer is a delightful, if loud, way to spend an evening. Both book and lyrics are among the wittiest I’ve heard in a long time and are stuffed with every 80’s reference you could stomach in two and a half hours. The music is catchy too (I dare you not to hum “It’s Saturday Night in the Cit-eh” during intermission) and if the story is predictable and doesn’t teach us much, its handled with grace and enthusiasm and offers us sweetness in one hand and plenty of laughs in the other."
