Actors Studio presents Marvelous Wonderettes
What better way to banish the dreary February blues than to sit back, relax and listen to some toe-tapping, uplifting music straight from the 1950s and ‘60s.
Add a dash of fun and nostalgia woven into a fun-filled storyline that centres on four high school friends and you’ve got The Marvelous Wonderettes.
This smash off-Broadway hit takes the audience on a happy exploration of a time when crinoline skirts were derigueur, hair-dos were mile high and music like Lipstick on Your Collar and Dream Lover had everyone bopping on the dance floor.
The action starts on prom night at Springfield High, where The Marvelous Wonderettes are going to dazzle their classmates with their harmonies and dance moves.
Missy (Delphine Litke), Cindy Lou (Alex Holowaty), Suzie (Madeleine Molgat) and Betty Jean (Denise Wolfe) are ready to shake up the prom and the world with their hopes, loves and dreams.
“Everything is fun about this show,” noted Madeleine, adding that her character, Suzie, is “a little ditzy, silly but very fun.”
“The girls are best friends, with a little bit of tension between Betty Jean and Cindy Lou over a boyfriend-stealing thing,” she said. “We start off at the prom in 1958, with all those great nostalgic songs and dance moves.
“Then, we come back for our 10-year reunion, have lived a lot more, had relationships and some problems,” she said. “Now, we’re in the 60s, with go-go boots and mini-skirts, and still friends.”
The songs of the era span the spectrum from Son of a Preacher Man to Rescue Me and Respect, making the show a true trip down memory lane.
“The costumes are wonderful and colourful and a lot of fun,” she added. “We’ve got puffy skirts and very, very big wigs, and then the wild colors and styles of the 60s when the girls get back together.”
In bonding with her character Betty Jean, Denise portrays her as a “mischievous tomboy who only wears green and likes to prank her friends.
“She’s not the most polite of the bunch,” Denise added. “She’s got some attitude, and I like her. It’s been a lot of fun getting the songs down, and the dance moves.
“The show is a happy-go-lucky kind of cutesy thing, and even the younger people in the audience will know the songs and enjoy it all.”
Director and choreographer Dawn Ewen, fresh off orchestrating Elf, is pouring her considerable directing talents into the show, with the “four powerful ladies” to work with on stage.
“It’s a challenge all round,” Dawn noted. “The women are on stage throughout the whole performance, with no breaks off-stage except for the intermission. It’s completely different from a large-cast musical, and they are very powerful actors/singers.
“Looking at it from the outside, it looks very simple---but it’s a wild ride. It’s really a challenge to do justice to these legendary songs, to deal with all of these props. To never leave the stage.
The girls all do back-up vocals for each other, and the choreography has to be so tight.
“With just four on stage, just one little thing that’s ‘off’ really draws the eye. And the songs have lots and lots of lyrics for them to learn. Then there’s having to learn how to sit properly in a short-short go-go dress compared to how to sit in a crinoline skirt. And sing and dance and remember all your lines too.”
All four cast members are up to the task as none are newcomers to the Kelowna Actors Studio stage.
All have been involved with KAS for several years, although Madeleine is tackling her first main stage appearance in a principal role.
As with most performances by KAS, the audience can expect a top-notch event, riddled with good vibes and a few little surprises thrown in for good measure.
“In the first act we’ll have some audience participation with surprises as they break through the fourth wall and speak to the audience,” Dawn said.
“And, it’ll be two hours of smiling and enjoying and remembering these great songs and eras,” she added.
For the remainder of the season, audiences can look forward to productions of Steel Magnolias, Camelot, and wrapping up the year with Disney’s The Little Mermaid, which will be a highlight summer presentation in the Kelowna Community Theatre.