Footlight Theatre Company presents the fun-lovin', bubblegum-sweet musical phenomenon, The Marvelous Wonderettes at Burnaby's Shadbolt Centre for the Arts, tonight, November 6-15, 2014. Written by famed jukebox musical maven Roger Bean and directed by Wayne Nolan with musical direction by Kate MacColl, this off-Broadway smash hit takes audience members on an incredible journey down memory lane through the smooth harmonies of the '50s and '60s girl group sound.
"The Marvelous Wonderettes is about celebrating a beloved era in American pop music alongside the iconic cultural references that define this generation - crinolines, getting pinned, and cat-eye glasses," says Director Wayne Nolan. "With the growing popularity of present-day musicians whose melodies harmonize, and evoke the spirit of performers from the '50s and '60s, the timing of Footlight Theatre Company's newest production couldn't be more appropriate."
Debuting to a Milwaukee audience in 1999 as a simple one-act production,
Roger Bean's The Marvelous Wonderettes has since evolved into its current, fully realized two-act spectacle. Enjoying multi-year runs in New York and Los Angeles, this charming production has been recognized with numerous accolades and awards, including the
Franklin R. Levy Award for Musical Theatre in 2007.
This enchanting story follows the Wonderettes - four friends and members of Springfield High School's 1958 Songleader Squad. When the original group set to perform at the senior prom is forced to drop out at the last minute, the Wonderettes are called upon as a quick replacement. Fast-forward to the ten-year reunion, and the Wonderettes are back at Springfield High, realizing that their lives have each taken very different and unexpected directions. The hopes, dreams, heartaches, and collective tensions of the girls are reminisced through dozens of classic songs including Mr. Sandman, Lipstick on Your Collar, It's My Party, and many more.
This production's cast features four locally loved musical theatre darlings - Katherine Alpen as Missy (who has a secret crush on Songleader instructor
Mr. Lee) and Sabrielle McCurdy-Foreman playing the giggly, oh-so popular Suzy. Carolyn Bergstrand shines in the role of sultry
Cindy Lou, whose wandering eye finds a target in Johnny, the boyfriend of the group's self-appointed clown
Betty Jean, played by Stefania Wheelhouse.
Director Wayne Nolan - a recent retiree who is newly settled on the west coast from Ontario - has been involved with community theatre since his debut role in the 1980 production Guys and Dolls at Ottawa's Orpheus Musical Theatre Society. Over the years, Nolan has gone on to direct nearly a dozen community theatre productions, winning the Capital Critics Circle Award for Best Director, Community in 2000 for the production You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown.
Musical Director Kate MacColl is a highly respected performer and songwriting instructor at Vancouver's
Sarah MacLachlan School of Music. This performance marks her first venture with Footlight Theatre Company. Other credits include Theatre Under the Stars, APPLAUSE! Musicals in Concert, Theatre Royale, and most recently Royal City Musical Theatre for which she performed in the 25th anniversary production of Annie.
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