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REVIEW: The Marvelous Wonderettes
The Gem Theatre
From the New Monitor
Wonderettes offers a wonderful time
By Robert Delaney
Some of the best songs of the mid-1950s to mid-'60s are woven into Roger Bean's The Marvelous Wonderettes, the current production at the Gem Theatre in downtown Detroit.
It's the senior prom at a small high school in 1958, and the entertainment is the school's own amateur girl group, The Wonderettes. That's the set-up for the first act of this delightful show, and they are reunited for the Class of 1958's 10-year reunion in the second act.
But one need not have been a member of that graduating class to enjoy the great songs in this show, or the fun way they are presented by four talented young singers under the direction of Hinton Battle.
Of course, for those who did graduate high school in 1958 - who would generally be people turning 70 this year - the music of the first act was the music of their teen years, but I remembered every one of those songs even though I would have been just 7 at the time.
We're talking songs such as Mr. Sandman, Lollipop, Allegheny Moon, Dream Lover, Secret Love, Teacher's Pet and Sincerely, among others.
Although the second act is set in 1968, most of the numbers seem from the earlier part of that decade. The songs include It's In His Kiss, Wedding Bell Blues, You Don't Own Me, I Only Want to be With You, It's My Party, Leader of the Pack, Maybe I Knew, Rescue Me and Respect, among others.
Singing these great old songs is a quartet of talented young women, who each represent a different "type" recognizable from just about everybody's high school experience. Gretchen Bieber is Suzy Simpson, the perky blonde; Marley DelDuchetto is Cindy Lou, the boyfriend stealer; Holly Davis is the somewhat awkward Betty Jean; and Laura Hall is the enthusiastic Missy.
And as is often the case, the passage of 10 years affects the girls in different ways, so that Betsy Jean, for example, has become the most glamorous of the group.
But it's a fun show. Not only would this be a great treat for that mom or aunt who knew all these songs when they were new, but I'll be surprised if the daughters, sons, nieces and nephews of the Class of '58 don't have just as much fun.
SHOW DETAILS:
The Marvelous Wonderettes continues through April 3 at the Gem Theatre, 333 Madison Avenue at Brush, across from the Music Hall, in downtown Detroit. For performance and ticket information, call 313-963-9800 or visit www.gemtheatre.com.
Reprinted with permission of the New Monitor, Feb. 25, 2010
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