When you’re employed to sing love songs at wedding receptions, it probably helps if you’re a romantic at heart.

And Robbie Hart, who earns a crust as a professional wedding singer, is just that. He dreams of making it as a rock star, but is happy drifting along singing corny songs to newlyweds.

Then Robbie gets jilted at the altar – and turns from being a happy-go-lucky kinda guy to a heartbroken wreck, determined to make everyone else just as miserable. Life looks up when he meets cheery waitress Julia, only to learn she’s engaged to a Wall Street shark. Can Robbie shake off the blues, pull off the performance of his life and win the girl he’s meant to be with?

Romantic comedy musical The Wedding Singer, based on the 1998 movie, stars Jonathan Wilkes and Natalie Casey as Robbie and Julia, played by Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore on the big screen.

Like the film, the show is set in 1985, (for no apparent reason other than nostalgia), so expect rolled-up jacket sleeves, big perms, white stilettos and maybe a leg-warmer or two.

“I have a terrible mullet,” grimaces Jonathan Wilkes. “Thankfully, it’s a wig – I’m not method acting where the mullet is concerned. I have a life outside this show!”

Jonathan, 29, isn’t fazed by taking on an Adam Sandler character. “There’s no point trying to be him, it’s not an impression,” he says. “It’s a great role; Robbie undergoes quite a change. He loves his job and is the life and soul, but he gets hurt and that changes him.

“He sets out to make every wedding as terrible as his own. He gets bitter and ends up having a massive rant about love and relationships. That’s a great stress reliever! “This isn’t going to change the world, it’s not Chekhov, it’s just fun. We get hen parties coming along. “The look and feel is very Eighties but the songs are original; it’s not one of those pop musicals that exists to deliver well-worn hits over a couple of hours.”

The show was a Broadway hit but is relatively new over here. Jonathan is aware of the challenge of attracting audiences. “We’re competing with the likes of Joseph and High School Musical – the shows that seem to sell out in minutes. Some people like familiarity, and when they’re forking out for expensive tickets that’s fair enough, but if nobody gave new shows a chance, we’d never get anything off the ground. Take a risk is what I say.”

The familiar and the popular is what shows like I’d Do Anything – the BBC’s search for stars for a production of Oliver! – appear to trade on, but Jonathan is surprisingly supportive of that route to fame.

“I was talking to my wife about it this morning,” he says. “People moan about the fact that you can win a lead role on a TV show, but it’s not just handed out on a plate. The people competing for these roles work hard for them. Most have already been in the business for years, they just haven’t made it yet. If it wasn’t for shows like this, they probably never would.

“Lee Mead, who won the Joseph show, was my understudy in Tommy and Rachel Tucker, who reached the semi-final of I’d Do Anything, was also in that show with me. They’ve worked hard, they just hadn’t had a break. You have to take what chances you can. I say ‘Go for it’ – it’s got to be better than sitting on your backside waiting for life to happen.”

Jonathan has been treading the boards since he was six, when he appeared in a Stoke Amateur Operatic Society production of Hans Christian Andersen opposite a young Robbie Williams.

Aged 17, Jonathan won the Cameron Mackintosh Young Entertainer of the Year award and became the youngest-ever entertainer to headline his own show in Blackpool, which ran for three years.

While Jonathan was the toast of Blackpool’s summer season, his best mate Robbie was becoming a household name in Take That, then as a solo superstar.

The pair remain pals and when Jonathan married his dancer girlfriend Nikki, Robbie was the best man. No doubt he belted out a tune or two at the reception. A wedding singer called Robbie. Sounds familiar… Being labelled Robbie’s best friend, often with scorn by the tabloid press, is something Jonathan shrugs off. “Everyone is associated with someone else. It just happens that the person I’m associated with is one of the most famous men in the world,” he smiles. “I hope people come and see me because they know of me in previous roles, not just because I’m Robbie’s mate.”

A keen footballer, Jonathan played for the Everton youth team but focused on a career in performing.

In 2000, he released debut single Just Another Day, which made the Top 20, but it’s as a musical theatre leading man that he’s best known.

He’s starred in such shows as Godspell, alternating the roles of Jesus and Judas, Grease, The Rocky Horror Show, Guys And Dolls and Tommy.

On TV, he’s presented You’ve Been Framed, Love On A Saturday Night and All Star Cup, pitting British and American celebrity golfers against each other. His football skills came in handy when he captained the celebrity team for two series of Sky One’s The Match, and he’s also played for Soccer Aid. He’s looking ahead to more of The Match and starring in panto later this year. “It’s my third one, I’m the Billy Pearce of Stoke!” he grins. “How many has Billy done in Bradford? Ten? I’ll catch up.”

  • The Wedding Singer runs at the Alhambra from next Monday to Saturday. For tickets ring (01274) 432000.