The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

Artscene The Wedding Singer has big shoes to fill By Dominik Kurek OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF 29 · Friday, April 16, 2010 OAKVILLE BEAVER · www.oakvillebeaver.com n Oakville born musician and actor is taking on Adam Sandler's role in a theatrical musical remake of a 1998 hit film of the same name. Matt Campbell will play the lead role at the Mississauga-based Stage West's comedic production of The Wedding Singer, which opens April 22. Just as Sandler did in the romantic comedy film, so will Campbell play Robbie Hart, a lively wedding singer who's fiancée leaves him. After his heartbreak, the character goes on to ruin the weddings he's hired to sing at. "I grew up with the comedy of Adam Sandler and I've always enjoyed his work so it's a thrill to be able to play this part," the 29-year-old said. He understands, however, that there will be people who compare him to Sandler. "As long as they compare me well, it's only a compliment," he said. "He's great and I definitely know there's some shoes to fill, but if I approach it with honesty, hopefully that will come through. And really it's a story about the heart finding where it belongs." The musical follows the same story as the movie. There are some changes to make it more theatrical and a few songs were added, but all the songs that appear in the film are also in the stage production. The musical version was first staged on Broadway in 2006. Campbell, who now lives in Toronto, is a singer/songwriter himself who has produced a self-titled album. The Sheridan College music theatre pro- A SUBMITTED PHOTO READY FOR REVENGE: Matthew Campbell will star in The Wedding Singer at Stage West. gram graduate sings and plays guitar and piano. Considering his own music career, Campbell sees the similarities between himself the character he will play. According to Campbell, the character is this late 20s guy who wants to be a rock star, but comes to the reality that not everyone can be. "Can you still find things with music in your life that make you happy even though you're not playing for 15,000 people?" he asked. "That part definitely relates." Campbell has worked with Stage West before, including both of its productions of The British Invasion, and has had numerous other on-stage roles. Of the current production he said, "One of the fun things about the show is it really focuses a lot on the 80s, which was obviously a very interesting time for fashion and music. Either people love music from the 80s or they absolutely despise it." He added, "It was the first time the public was able to buy a synthesizer keyboard and as a result of that everyone produced crazy music that was either good or some of it incredibly bad." The show will feature music styles that range from 80s rock to dance. Costume and set designs will reflect 1985 styles, which is the time the show is set in. Stage West is a theatre and hotel located at 5400 Dixie Rd. (at Hwy. 401) in Mississauga. All shows include dinner. Tickets range in price from $45.99 to $79.99 depending on the day and time of the show. The production runs until July. For tickets, times and dress code information, visit www.stagewest.com.