Every show leaves a memory, and The Marvelous Wonderettes left œthe ensemble in mine. As the show started, I was struck with the feeling that I seeing some reminder from my life.
First, I thought it might be a flash back to Lou Reeds Walk on the Wild Side when he sings œand the colored girls go ˜du tadu tadu tadutadu du tadu¦, but that wasnt quite right. Then I found it - I felt I was watching a slumber party with a group of 16 year-old girls.
The show is a toe-tapping, ensemble review of oldies from the ˜50s and 60s. Four actresses form a convincing ensemble of 16-year old singers called The Marvelous Wonderettes who are performing at their high-school prom. It is rare to have one actress who knows how to sing on a musical theater stage, and to have four of them is a sublime treat. The ensemble is the star of this show, and the four women singers prepared by Musical Director Stacey Bechtel allow that star to shine bright. The cast should buy her a bottle of champagne when this show closes.
The star would not have shown so bright if a compelling supporting player, the choreography directed by Oliver Blatt, had not lifted it up. The choreography was never obtrusive but always compelling. The choreography itself was impressive, and just as impressive was the discipline of this opening night performance. Of the many opening and other nights of performances I have seen, I have rarely seen a performance this clean, and never one like this on an opening night.
The four teen-age girls are Sarah Folsom as Betty Jean, Amber Kerestes as Cindy Lou, Jennie McGuinness as Suzy and Lia Peros as Missy. They sing their way through various conflicts and loves of teen-age girls. The four alternate between solos and supporting trios through many of the girlie favorites of the 50s. After a couple of opening numbers including a cute œLollipop Cindy Lou steals Betty Jeans solo of œAllegheny Moon kicking off the conflict for the evening. The four begin to sing to their boyfriends. Suzy sings œStupid Cupid to Richie. Betty Jean finds out that Cindy Lou has been making out with her boy friend Johnny so she sings œLipstick on your collar. Cindy Lou explains why Betty Jean really needs to worry by singing œLucky Lips. Missy takes her turn with œSecret Love.
We have been watching about 30 minutes of uninterrupted adolescent musical fun when Missy starts œSecret Love. This song is a ballad that Lia Peros starts as a giggly, insecure teenager with the teenage girly angst motivating the singing. The girlish approach used to open the song bothered me because the song is a quiet, introspective expression of an unrequited love, and after 30 minutes I was ready for a break from the teenage energy. I love this song, and Lia Peros is a fine singer.
After the show, I wondered why the song was not as effective as I usually find it. To me, the opening motivation of the giggly teenage girl could have been changed to that of a 26-year old young woman. This would have grounded the song as a ballad, given a break to the constant flow of energy from the cast and served as a hint of the emotional transition needed for the second act when the characters are 10 years older.
We move back into the slumber party feel, and soon reach intermission. The 20-minute intermission is 10 years of show time. We are now taken to the 10-year reunion with the Marvelous Wonderettes back on stage. Things have changed. Missy has been dating the same man for the last five years. Betty Jean has married Johnny and he has just left her. Cindy Lou has left for Hollywood and returned to marry the œbad boy from their class. Suzy is pregnant and married to her philandering, high school sweetheart. What did not change was the age portrayed by the actors. The œslumber party did not work as well supporting the troubles of early adult life as it did the tribulations of the teen-age girls in the first act.
We needed actresses portraying 26-six year olds dealing with their more real crises. 16-year-olds have a hint of the 26 year-old who is coming, and 26 year olds have a hint of the teenager who was. The feeling of 16-year old angst could not carry the weight of the 26-year old pathos. Two of the actresses could make this transition with no problem. One I am not sure of, and the last would not be able to do so on without help. The ensemble, the real actor in this show, did not make the transition. If it had made the transition it would have allowed the entire cast to portray 26-year old pathos. For me, the women in the second act should feel different than the girls in the first act.
The ensemble performance is the key to the success of this show. The four women seem to be having the time of their lives and they are convincing as the closest of friends. There are a few differences in performance. Two of the singers are as good as you will hear on musical stages here in the valley. The other two are almost as good but have tendency to use too much nasal focus to build volume. This causes an occasional strident tone in their singing. The pitches across the ensemble are consistently close to true. There are occasional notes that are a smidge sharp which is a natural tendency for the higher soprano voices. This and other occasional pitchiness added much to the overall charm and realism of the ensemble singing. It fits the slumber-party motif. This paragraph is picky on my part. These four ladies are doing the best singing we are likely to hear on a Lehigh Valley stage this year.
There are a lot of reasons to see this show. You want to understand the teenage girls you know. You want to understand the teenage girl you were. You want to understand the teenage girl you were afraid to ask on a date. You want to hear excellent singing. You want to reminisce about the songs of the ˜50s and 60s. Or you want to see an excellent example of ensemble singing. If you go, you may see me because I am coming back with my companion. We need another fun night out.
The Marvelous Wonderettes continues at Pines Dinner Theatre through October 28th. Tickets for the show only are $25. There are matinees at 2PM on Wednesday through Sunday except Saturday. Evening shows start at 8PM on Friday and Saturday. Dinners are available prior to the show for an additional charge.
Andrew Ferrous can be reached at