A clean-shaven young gentleman, in a polyester lettermen’s jacket greeted me upon arrival. He pulled a crimson marker out of his coat pocket and scratched my name off the list. The boyish lad handed me a pamphlet and smiling with a toothy grin said,” Welcome… to the Prom.” The forum was transformed. It officially had become Springfield High School’s 1958 prom. 

 

Surveying the audience, I quickly realized the production would be of great nostalgia to most attendees. In fact, the guest to my left shared 1958 was her high school graduation. Thanks to art direction by Kurt Boecher and costume design by Sharell Martin the small theater became a time capsule. It revived the musical icons and traditional values of the 1950’s. The play brought elder playgoers back to the “best years of their life.”

 

A loud speaker turned on and in a muffled voice introduced “The Marvelous Wonderettes.” The group walked, tripped and bounced onto the stage. The quartet was a homogenously dressed group of females differentiated by multi-colored dresses. The first “Wonderette” was Cindy Lou (Kirsten Chandler). Cindy was a presumptuous girl in rosy pink. The second was Betty Jean (Julie Dixon Jackson). She was an obnoxious and loud teenager with strong vocals dressed in sea foam green. The third, Missy (Kim Huber), was a reticent young woman in muted orange. And the fourth, Suzy (Bets Malone), was lacking in intellect yet her disposition was pleasant and she shined in cotton blue.

 

The play is dyadic. The Springfield sweethearts cover pop songs from two-decades. The initial performance takes place in 1958 at their prom and the second happens in 1968 at their ten-year reunion. The “Wonderettes” are darling as high school girls. Not only are they nice, they are funny and talented. Their personalities range from teacher’s pet to the prom queen. The “Wonderette’s” perform songs that include, “Lollipop,” “(Love is Like A) Heatwave,” “I Only Want To Be With You,” and more.

 

After the high school prom the ladies return ten years later to their reunion. Most of the “Wonderettes” have lost contact with each other. Missy and Suzy are the only ones who still speak to each other so a lot there is some catching up to do. One of the “Wonderettes” is getting married, one is getting divorced, one is having a baby and one well one is still figuring things out. At the reunion the ladies serenade their classmates with songs such as,” Leader of the Pack,” “Son of a Preacher Man,” and ‘With This Ring.”

 

The dinky gymnasium stage was brought to life with their energetic renditions from famous artists. The musical was lively and comedic. The girls even used audience members as characters in their play. The spectators were captured by their irresistible charm. “The Wonderettes” definitely live up to the measure of their name. Don’t think you have to be baby boomer to appreciate the “The Marvelous Wonderettes” it satisfies all ages.