by Dennis Kornbluh
I'm going to level with you: I was not looking forward to venturing outdoors on a cold and snowy night to see The Marvelous Wonderettes, a 50s musical that opened Thursday evening at the TADA Theatre in the Haymarket. The genre has many well-worn classics,and I've seen most of them, from "Grease" to "Guys & Dolls"; from the "The Music Man" to "West Side Story". I didn't imagine that I'd be impressed with yet another show from this period. I was utterly mistaken.
From the moment the four Wonderettes appeared on stage, I realized that the performance was going to exceed my expectations. They opened with the 50's classic song "Mr. Sandman", which was marvelously authentic in its arrangement and beautifully sung by actors Sherri Lee (Betty Jean), Caroline Ficke (Cindy Lou), Angelia Onuoha (Missy) and Nicole Hustad (Suzy). The four-part harmony was tightly synchronized, precisely on pitch and very pleasing.
The storyline takes the audience back in time to the 1958 Springfield High School prom, where the Marvelous Wonderettes reveal their hopes, dreams, and emotions as they perform period songs for their class. The second act rejoins the Wonderettes at the class reunion of 1968, with appropriate updates to costumes, music, and attitudes.
There is a lot of music in this show, and not an overabundance of dialogue. The story is well expressed through themes found in classic songs from the 50s and 60s, such as "Lollipop," "Dream Lover," "Teacher's Pet," "It's In His Kiss" and many others. I thought the song choices correlated well with the events in the story.
In a musical with just four roles, there's no room for a weak performance by any single player. Fortunately, all of the performers easily carried their own weight, both in their acting ability and in the strength of their vocals. I greatly enjoyed the music throughout the show, but a few songs were particularly soulful, such as the rendition of "Son of a Preacher Man".
I don't usually make a recommendation about whether readers should see a show I have reviewed. Tastes vary quite a lot, and one never knows if the subject matter will be appealing or the acting up to standards, and so on. However, The Marvelous Wonderettes is truly a marvelous show that showcases some very impressive talent. If you don't see it, you'll be missing out on a rare treat in community theatre.
The Marvelous Wonderettes is playing at The TADA Theatre, 701 P Street, The Creamery Building on the following dates:
February 4-7, 11-14, 18-21, & 25-28.
For tickets visit www.tadatheatre.info or call (402) 438-TADA (8232)
