Springfield Contemporary Theatre will present the Springfield-area premiere of the musical "The Marvelous Wonderettes" June 5-21 at SCT Center Stage, 431 S. Jefferson #136 (corner of Pershing and Robberson). Josh Inmon directs and choreographs this production, with musical direction by Alex Huff, and costumes -- which are "fantastic," says Josh--by Lou Schaefer. This smash off-Broadway hit takes to the 1958 Springfield High School prom where we meet the Wonderettes, four girls with hopes and dreams as big as their crinoline skirts! Then in the second act, we revisit them at their ten-year class reunion.
Ellen Spann makes her SCT debut in this show, playing one of the "Wonderettes," Missy. "Over the ten-year gap (between acts 1 & 2) they haven't seen each other for the most part." Josh says that over the 15-minute intermission between acts we move from 1958 to 1968, and "the style changes, the music changes."
As we learn about the Wonderettes' lives and loves, we are treated to the girls performing such classic ‘50s and ‘60s songs as “Lollipop,” “Dream Lover,” “Stupid Cupid,” “Lipstick on Your Collar,” “Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me,” “It’s My Party” and over 20 other classic hits. The aesthetic of the show definitely changes between the two acts."
There's no original score, according to Josh Inman. "It's very clever the way that they integrate (the pop songs), and the characters use those songs to forward their own individual stories." You’ve never had this much fun at a prom--it's a must-take musical trip down memory lane. But as Ellen Spann says, there's more than meets the eye--or ear. "You can look at it the show as a 27-song singing-and-dancing marathon. But also it is about how people change in ten years, and the tolls that life takes (on them)--and I like that."
The show opens Friday June 5th and will runs Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30pm and Sundays at 2:00pm at SCT Center Stage. For more information call 831-8001 or visit www.springfieldcontemporarytheatre.org.
