by erin thursby scopes1925@msn.com
What: The Wedding Singer
When: November 6th -11th
Where: Times-Union Center, Moran Theater
The musical adaptation of The Wedding Singer is going to be sweeping into town as part of the FCCJ Broadway Series. Based on Adam Sandler’s hit film of the same name, the Tony Award nominated show takes us back to when “hair was big, greed was good, collars were up and a wedding singer sporting a mullet might be the coolest guy in the room.”
Joey Chancey is a Jacksonvillian who is part of the permanent traveling cast. His local credits include producer of The Rocky Horror Show at the 5 Points Theatre, Music Director for the Alhambra Dinner Theatre’s productions of Beauty and the Beast, Wizard of Oz, and Dreamgirls and Smokey Joe’s Café. Among a host of other regional and local credits (including Batboy: the Musical) Joey has also had the pleasure of playing keyboards on the national tour of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat starring Patrick Cassidy. You might have seen him involved in productions at Players by the Sea, Theatre Jacksonville, and Orange Park Community Theatre.
EU: What’s your role in the show?
Joey Chancey: I’m in the orchestra, first keyboard in the pit…which means I play for all the New York rehearsals. Every week we have rehearsals…I work with the cast sometimes for vocal warm-ups.
EU: Is the music in the show more Broadway style or is it all 80s?
JC: It actually doesn’t contain any 80s hits. It’s 80s-inspired Broadway, if you will. It does follow the movie [and] has a couple of the songs that Adam Sandler wrote from the movie in the show. All of the music is original to this specific show…They’ve done a really good job of mimicking the style [of the 80s]…the way it’s orchestrated with keyboard sounds and the drum machine.
EU: How many locals do they generally hire for a show like this? I know that some of the shows that come through often hire locals to play in the orchestra.
JC: Actually, it’s a non-union tour. Last year Sweet Charity came through and it was a Union tour so it travels with four to five musicians and it will hire eight or nine local people in each city. But we actually travel with all nine musicians in our orchestra, so we don’t hire anyone local…It’s nice because we can really fine-tune the orchestra we have. We’ve played almost 65 shows now.
EU: So you’re part of the permanent traveling cast, a local that happens to be with the show?
JC: Exactly…I drove up to New York and auditioned for the music contractor for the whole producing company. I travel with the show…It was a perfect thing that happened. I had a couple of things lined up after graduation but no specific job. I sent in my resume…and they asked me to audition three days after graduation, so I drove up to New York, played…Two weeks later they called and offered me the job to tour with the show.
EU: Did you know the show was coming to Jacksonville before you got the part?
JC: It was really, really cool because right after I got home from New York, I opened up the Broadway Series little packet and…I saw The Wedding Singer was coming…I thought ‘How Cool would that be to tour to my hometown?’ So ironically, I get to tour to my hometown!
The show closed on Broadway in January, using a much larger orchestra, but Chancey likes the smaller orchestra because “it means that it’s a little more involved for each player.” Joey is contracted to be with the show through July of 2008.
“It’s a fantastic experience…to be just two months out of college—I’m very grateful to be working alongside these people.”
For more info or to buy tickets to The Wedding Singer call (904) 632-3373 or go to artistseries.fccj.org
|
EU Critic’s Choice Awards
