The Marvelous Wonderettes Utah Debut at The Grand Theatre 3/9

The Marvelous Wonderettes is making its Utah debut at The Grand Theatre this March. This regional premiere of an off-Broadway musical that took New York by storm was written by Roger Bean, who is a Southern Utah University alumni and past Utah Shakespearean Festival marketing director. He also directed musical theatre productions at both the Utah Shakespearean Festival and Utah Musical Theatre.

MR. Bean's accolades extend past his Utah roots. Not only did he create The Marvelous Wonderettes and direct the original cast, he has written several other musicals and musical reviews including The Andrews Brothers, Route 66, Why Do Fools Fall in Love, along with The Winter Wonderettes, a sequel to The Marvelous Wonderettes.

The Marvelous Wonderettes first began as a one act show at Milwaukee Repertory and was the second show MR. Bean wrote. After popular demand of this show, it was expanded into a full production. In 2007, The Marvelous Wonderettes received the Los Angeles Ovation Award for Best Musical Intimate Theatre, and played a record-setting 18 months at the El Portal Theatre in North Hollywood, CA. MR. Bean was also nominated for two Ovation Awards for Direction of a Musical for the Los Angeles productions of The Marvelous Wonderettes and Winter Wonderettes.

The Grand Theatre's production of The Marvelous Wonderettes is musical trip down memory lane where audience members are treated to classic songs such as Lollipop, Mr. Sandman, Leader of the Pack, Respect, and many more. Directed and choreographed by Toni Byrd with musical direction by Kevin Mathie, this fun romp through the 50s and 60s features a 4-piece band and provides plenty of audience interaction. Ali Bennett (Cindy Lou), Stephanie Chace Bass (Betty Jean) CariAnne Jones (Suzy), and Natalie Peterson (Missy) play the Wonderettes, a doo-wop group with hopes and dreams as big as their crinoline skirts and voices to match, while they perform at their 1958 high school prom.

Performances dates: Evenings: March 9 - 26 (Wednesday-Saturday; no performance on March 23), Saturdays Matinees: March 12 & 19
Times: Evening performances 7:30pm
Location: The Grand Theatre, 1575 South State Street, Salt Lake City, UT 84115
Tickets: Prices range from $8.00 to $24.00 with discounts for groups, seniors, and students available.
Reservations: 801-957-3322 or online at http://www.the-grand.org/

 

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