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11/30/2022 07:00 AMThe four Wonderettes are back at Ivoryton Playhouse throwing a fun-filled holiday party through Sunday, Dec. 18.
If you want holiday cheer – some audience participation and lots of both familiar and less familiar songs – you will enjoy this.
Cindy Lou, Missy, Betty Jean, and Suzy are providing the entertainment at the Essex Hardware Store’s annual Christmas party. The four have been friends since high school where they were the song leaders. Betty Jean has been working there since high school and now is in corporate sales, while Suzy is married to Ritchie an employee.
This evening is all about the songs and the fun. The plot is minimal – the girls get together to perform and chat about their lives. The running gags – Suzy’s husband, who is running the lights, turns them off when he is annoyed; Santa Claus (the store owner) is missing and such.
But it is the harmonies and the music that makes this worthwhile. Think of any of the close harmony girl groups of the ‘40s and ‘50s and you’ll have the idea: the Chordettes, the Andrews Sisters, the McGuire Sisters.
The show starts with the Christmas version of “Mr. Sandman” – now “Mr. Santa” and continues with one holiday song after another. Some are very familiar: “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” “Jingle Bell Rock,” and “It’s a Marshmallow World,” and others.
It was the less familiar songs that will capture you. “Snowfall” is a wonderful ballad and “My Christmas Will Be Another Lonely Day” was unfamiliar to me. It was also nice to hear “Little Suzy Snowflake” and “Waiting for the Man with the Bag.”
Katie Bates as Missy, Daron Cockerell as Cindy Lou, Megan Lewis-Michaelson as Betty Jean, and Emily Kay Schrader as Suzy make the most of the material and excel with the close harmonies.
Whatever the reason – the sound design or something else – some performers sounded shrill. Meagan Lewis-Michelson as Betty Jean sounded the best, most likely due to her mezzo-soprano voice.
If you don’t want to participate in the show – make sure your seats aren’t on the aisle or in the front row. Three audience members were corralled to help with a medley of bell songs including “Ring Those Christmas Bells,” “Sleigh Ride,” and “Jingle Bells.”
The scenic design by Martin Scott Marchitto is clever, replicating Essex Hardware Store with ladders and tools on the walls and an overall old-time feel. Your eye keeps finding more elements that make it realistic. Before the show, Artistic Director Jackie Hubbard thanked the community volunteers who answered her call for assistance. They arrived at the theater with tool belts on and built the tiered set.
The prop microphones the girls use are cleverly created from various tools and hardware. One is a plunger and another a light bulb.
Director J. Clayton Winters and choreographer Elizabeth McGuire take the show too seriously; a few winks to the audience recognizing that this isn’t serious would have been welcome. Music director Mark Ceppetelli led the five-piece musical ensemble.
Playwright Bean has identified the girls by colors, which may have worked in the original show (The Marvelous Wonderettes) but for a Christmas party, did not really work – pale blue, orange, peach, and turquoise green – aren’t holiday colors. I’d have loved to see a red or deep green or even a darker blue. The costumes are simple but could better reflect the late ‘60s. The hairstyles represented the period, but the wigs could have looked more real.
Bean does a good job of providing background to help us understand these characters. We are quickly reminded that Suzy is married to Ritchie, Betty Jean was dumped by Johnny (and a recent reconciliation did not work out), Missy is recently married to Mr. Lee, and Cindy Lou is looking for love.
Of course, there has to be some conflict among good friends. Again, it refers to prior events with Cindy Lou “stealing” a song from Betty Jean. It happens again, and Betty Jean sulks.
Let’s admit that the characters tend to be stereotyped with just one or two characteristics: Suzy is not only very, very pregnant but what might be called a “ditz;” Betty Jean is the loud, humorous one who drinks a little; Missy is constantly showing off her wedding ring and so forth.
The audience seemed to truly enjoy the show, willingly helping to “find the elf” and participating in other ways.
For tickets visit ivorytonPlayhouse.org.