The Marvelous Wondrettes

The Marvelous Wondrettes is a jukebox musical which premiered for Milwaukee Repertory Theatre in 1999. Devised for a cast of four in an intimate setting, the show uses songs from the 50s and 60s in two acts. Act One takes place at the 1958 High School prom and Act Two at the reunion ten years later. The small stage at the Italian Club in Prospect was the right choice of venue.

The strength of the show is in the songs. Numbers such as ‘Mr Sandman’, ‘Dream Lover’ ‘Secret Love’ and ‘Lollipop’ stand the test of time. Delivered by performers in pastel satin, this saccharine veneer overlays the angst of teenage love and jealousy. The cast mature with the set list which evolves to include numbers such as ‘The Shoop Shoop Song’ (‘It’s in his Kiss’), ‘It’s my party’, ‘Son of a Preacher Man’, ‘Leader of the Pack’ and ‘Respect’.

The band, under the direction of Kellie Cutler, is strong. The music is tight and well balanced, never too loud but prone to overwhelm the vocal imbalances. Percussionist, Zac Papworth, is a delight to watch. His skill and enjoyment in his work are evident. Cutler provided security and competence on piano; her work augmented by Alex Jarman on Keyboard. Tina Kurtz on saxophone (of various sizes) is an integral and essential component of the band which is rounded of by Adan Langridge on guitar. Langridge drives the heavier numbers and adds a plaintive tone to the romantic ones.

The intimacy of the Italian Club in Prospect facilitates an immediacy and connection with the audience (but avoid eye contact if you do not enjoy audience ‘interaction’). Despite this and a plethora of resources, the actors are often ill lit and opening night saw issues with body mics, feedback and poor sound balance. Delivery of the material by the vocalists was somewhat uneven and could have been better supported.

The strongest voice in the quartet is that of Jorja Sigtenhorst as Cindy Lou. She is especially strong in ‘Son of a Preacher Man’, ‘Leader of the Pack’.

The other reliable voice is that of Cody Sparkes. His is a most enjoyable performance as Betty Jean. Sparkes occasionally overplays the comedy and petulance of his character but is otherwise convincing, never camp and mesmerisingly beautiful as Betty Jean. Sparkes reliably holds harmonies but is, of course, not singing within his normal register. This compromises the tone and strength of his delivery. Sparkes’ performance is genuine and, despite the silliness of the plot, brings vulnerability to his character.

Louise Mizzi plays the ditzy Suzy. Mizzi appears to have been directed to affect an airy Marilyn Monroe (Happy birthday Mr President) tone which means her voice is underrepresented in the mix. Also compromising her voice is the fact that Mizzi performs the whole show with chewing gum in her mouth (a joke that goes on longer than it should). Some true belting in her final songs, ‘Rescue Me” and ‘Respect’, would not have been inconsistent with the character’s growth.

Rounding out the four Wondrettes is Star Rae producer, Racheal Leigh. With many credits in stage and screen, Leigh is a relative newcomer to Launceston where she has produced pantomime and other theatrical and variety shows. As Missy, Leigh takes on the role of group leader. While all the singers are capable and can hold a tune, the opening night mix was deficient, and the pursuit of a light tone and feminine blend proved to be at the expense of vocal strength, timbre and individuality.

Conversely, the performers all move well and execute the choreography of Tosphja Boon with confidence. Augmenting the visual element are the costumes. The pastel satin of Act One gives way to vibrant stretch prints and tall white vinyl boots in Act Two.

The Marvelous Wondrettes includes wonderful songs that are held together by a flimsy plot and irritating stereotypes. This is the nature of a jukebox musical. However, the songs are great, and the band is a delight, and the performers evince a great deal of joy in the performance.

Anne Blythe-Cooper