Asked to be the entertainment, at the last moment, for the class of 1958's senior prom, Missy, Suzy, Cindy Lou and Betty Jean bring their four part harmony to fill in. They also bring their boy problems. As the girls wow the audience with their music, the individual personalities become distinct and love situations become tricky. In the second act, their ten year reunion shows us the changes in the young women as well as the changes in the music over a ten year span.
If you had seen Samantha Carroll as Mary Poppins and as General Cartwright, you would not have recognized her as Missy. Well, maybe you would have recognized some of her high notes. Her straight, dark hair, the black framed glasses and the conservative gown made Missy the picture of 1950's nerd. The love of her teen years is her high school choir director. The fact that his name is Mr. Lee gives her a chance to sing not only the song "Mr. Lee" but of course "Teacher's Pet", which works into the plot nicely. In the second act we learn that his first name is Bill and we hear "Wedding Bell Blues" ( "Won't You Marry Me, Bill?")
Kate Keating as the gum chewing Suzy captured the sound of the 50's very well; she had the slight, rather sweet voice that could break when needed. After the slightly screw ball of the first act, we were not quite prepared for the change in her in the second act. When she started on Aretha Franklin's "Respect" I had my doubts. Kate nailed it! In fact she, to use an old theatrical phrase, ate up the stage.
Man stealing Cindy Lou, was played by Katrina Diehn. My biggest disappointment this summer was that we did not see more of Katrina. She is such a delight, no matter how she is cast, but she does shine as the pretty girl who is accustomed to getting her own way - including her best friend's boyfriend. She proved that she could do some scene stealing as well when she did "Son of a Preacher Man" and "Leader of the Pack".
Shannon Agnew has been thrilling Millbrook audiences all summer. As Cindy Lou's best friend, Betty Jean, Shannon had many opportunities to show her comedic side. I suggest that when ordering tickets you always sit where you can see Shannon's facial expressions. But, do not ever forget that this young woman can sing. Her medley around "It's my Party and I Can Cry if I Want To" hit on all levels.
Dax Valdes has been one of my favorites over the years at Millbrook. He sings, dances and acts with the best of them, but he shines as a director and choreographer. His touch as both with THE MARVELOUS WONDERETTES was obvious. The stage movement was energetic and the dance numbers were well coordinated - after all this was a show about back up singers as well as leads. Any time that you see Dax's name in a program, get you ticket as fast as possible.
This is such a fun show and I heard more than one member of the audience say that it was the best show of the season. If fact, the run of the show is a sell out and an extra week has been added to the schedule, now running through August 28th. For time and seat availability, call 570-748-8083. Good luck or visit their website.
PS. If I have a complaint about this year, it is the program insert. Very small, black print on colored paper is very hard to read. Using one main program and then the insert for individual plays is practical, but I want to be able to read credits.
Our group is always a bit sad when Millbrook's summer season is over, but we will be watching to see what happens next. Thank you David E. Leidholdt for having the talent to gather all of these great people to Mill Hall, Pennsylvania again this year.
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