The producers might have wondered the same thing when "The Wedding Singer" left Broadway without much of a honeymoon. And the musical's straight-to-non-Equity national tour confirmed that nobody was betting on "happily ever after" staying power.

But the low-budget production, which opened Tuesday at Memorial Auditorium, might surprise naysayers with its scrappy charm. With ticket prices slashed in a last-minute two-for-one deal, theatergoers could do worse than to submit to the empty calories of this 1980s-themed matrimonial concoction.

Sure, the tale of a spurned wedding singer and the almost married girl of his dreams is full of missed opportunities. Instead of character development, writers frittered valuable time with endless 1980s references, flashy production numbers and a too-faithful allegiance to lame one-liners from the 1998 film.

And whereas the movie had the seductive power of a hit-packed 1980s soundtrack, the Broadway score hangs on to only two slight songs that Sandler co-wrote. Otherwise it adheres to Broadway stylistic norms with few traces of a signature 1980s sound.

But the score has its highlights, including a quirky Dumpster-themed ballad that the film's Drew Barrymore character Julia (Erin Elizabeth Coors) sings to Sandler's Robbie (Merritt David Janes), as well as the pair's harmonizing duet "If I Told You" and two hysterical songs from Linda (Andrea Andert), the woman who abandoned Robbie at the altar.

And the nonunion cast's relative inexperience matters little, considering the sketchy characters they're called to portray. They're also fantastic dancers and get ample opportunity to prove it.

Even the low-budget sets — including a rolling room the size of a closet and a toy airplane held aloft by a Billy Idol impersonator — are funny and fitting in the context of the period, with its synthesizers, gelled-up hair and junky accessories.

As the enduring pop-culture appeal of the era attests, there's something irresistible about the unabashed celebration of all things shallow. And the musical embraces it all, with the fortunate exception of its romantic leads.

Coors has a lovely voice and a goofy charm as Julia, a waitress whose immature notions of love grow deeper by night's end. And while Janes' singing is at times too restrained, especially in Robbie's bitter tirades, his vocal subtlety in the tender moments is a rewarding trade-off.

The script provides almost nothing in the way of early chemistry-building moments to make the couple's bond inevitable. And the film's lazy plot device, a ridiculous forced first kiss, is replicated just as unbelievably onstage. But Janes and Coors have a sweet allure that makes their budding romance convincing and satisfying.

The supporting actors perform serviceably in their meager roles, including Julia's Madonna-influenced pal Holly (Sarah Peak); Robbie's rapping grandma, Rosie (Penny Larsen); and band mates Sammy (Justin Jutras) and Boy George wannabe George (John Jacob Lee).

One can only hope that Broadway will outgrow its infatuation with lazy film adaptations. But "The Wedding Singer" might well endure beyond its brief Broadway toast.