We reconnected with Amy Hillner Larsen at our Christmas party last weekend and found out that she was starring in The Marvelous Wonderettes off-Broadway. The current revival of the 2008 show has been running for over two years and is scheduled to close soon. In a combination of friendly support, crinoline curiousity and neverending enjoyment of Grease-era nostalgia, we ventured over to see this long-running musical.
At the 1958 senior prom, four young ladies are introduced as the evening’s entertainment, replacing the glee club at the last minute when one of them is caught smoking (the simple plot points evoke and poke fun at a simpler time). Prankster Betty Jean (Michelle Dowdy) and self-adoring Cindy Lou (understudy Amy Toporek) are best friends and also bitter rivals for both the spotlight and a certain fella. Missy (Maggie McDowell) is the event organizer who has a secret love, one of her teachers. Ms. Larsen plays Suzy, the gum chewing ditzy gal who is madly in love with Ritchie, the lighting guy for their show. The vibe is high school amateur night with more than a dozen classic songs in the first act alone. “Dream Lover,” “Stupid Cupid” and “Lucky Lips” reflect a sentimental, homogenized America. The girls just want to be kissed by their beau!
The pacing is frantic as these women plow through more than two dozen hits from the 1950’s and 1960’s. The second act takes place at the tenth reunion. The Wonderettes return after a period of personal enlightenment and disillusionment which we refer to as adulthood. While still very concerned with kissing (“It’s in His Kiss”), they also shed a few tears (“It’s My Party”) and demand to be better treated just a little bit when they get home (fill in the song title). If the first act is silly slapstick and airy juvenile dreaming, the second half takes place in 1968 when America is erupting with change, boots are made for walking and women’s liberation is soon to be on the march. As presented here, the movement is not much heavier than whipped cream (Cool Whip?) but you can sense it has begun to arrive.
The four person cast is onstage nearly the entire show and it’s a workout for sure. Everyone has their opportunity to shine in spotlight numbers. If you are wistful for this period, the song selections alone should satisfy. The show aims for campy fun but the so-so book (and frequently repeated jokes) miss the opportunity to reach the malt shop in the sky.
Viewing The Marvelous Wonderettes right now allows for a comparison to the current television series, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. Also set in 1958, this Emmy Award winning comedy sits firmly at the end of this musical’s first act. Impending societal changes are cracking through America. The ladies wonder where life will take them. Some sing about that. Some perform stand-up comedy. Isn’t that marvelous?