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Lincolnite performs in Broadway's "Wedding Singer"
BY JEFF KORBELIK / GZO
Thursday, Apr 20, 2006 - 11:35:04 pm CDT

Should Ashley Amber Haase come back to Lincoln for her 10-year high school reunion this summer, the Broadway dancer will have a few stories to share.

Like what actor Hugh Jackman is really like.

Having worked alongside him for a year on the Tony Award-winning musical “The Boy From Oz,” Haase should have the scoop.

About how Jackman is the stereotypical movie star — too big for his britches with no time for the little people.

Not so, said Haase, who is now dancing in the new Broadway musical “The Wedding Singer.”

“He’s really the most endearing person you’ll ever meet,” the 1996 Lincoln Southeast graduate said of the “X-Men” hunk. “He truly is a genuine, kind man.

“And incredibly handsome as well.”

Haase admitted during a phone interview that family and friends often ask her about Jackman as well as others she has worked with in her 10 years on the Great White Way.

The dancer doesn’t mind — it comes with the territory.

As she preps for her fifth Broadway production — “The Wedding Singer” — she expects to get questions about Adam Sandler, who starred in the 1988 movie version with Drew Barrymore.

She met Sandler at the world premiere of the show in Seattle. Sandler’s college roommate Tim Herlihy — who penned “The Wedding Singer” movie — is a co-writer of the musical’s book.

“Nobody expected to see (Sandler),” Haase said. “It was cool. We were totally surprised by it.”

Haase is in the ensemble for the “The Wedding Singer,” which officially opens Thursday on Broadway at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre. It’s been in previews since March 30.

Haase auditioned for “The Wedding Singer” while she was performing in “All Shook Up,” the musical inspired by and featuring Elvis Presley songs that ran for 213 performances between March and September 2005.

She learned she landed “The Wedding Singer” the day after her callback.

“It never happens that fast,” she said. “Usually you’re on pins and needles for a week.”

Haase has danced steadily since leaving Lincoln for New York after high school graduation. Her other Broadway credits include “AIDA” and the critically lampooned “Dance of the Vampires,” which had a stake put through its heart after just 56 performances.

Despite its failure, Haase said “Vampires” was a good lesson for her.

“I learned what you should do and shouldn’t do, what works and what doesn’t work and what’s good or bad,” she said.

Other dance credits include national tours of “Fame,” “The Producers” and “Smokey Joe’s Cafe.” She also performed in the recent movie of “The Producers.” She was one of the many old ladies dancing with their walkers in Central Park.

“I spent a lot of time falling,” she joked.

“The Wedding Singer” features Stephen Lynch in his Broadway debut in Sandler’s role. Laura Benanti (FX’s “Starved”) plays the Drew Barrymore part.

Haase finds it a tad coincidental she’s part of a wedding musical. In July, she will marry her longtime boyfriend Blake, whom she met three years ago at Mardi Gras in New Orleans.

“My whole life is about weddings,” she said. “I’m the bride the opening scene of the show, so it’s been good practice.”

As well as another story to share.

Reach Jeff Korbelik at 473-7213 or jkorbelik@journalstar.com.