The Marvelous Wonderettes

The Marvelous Wonderettes
Music	Various Artists
Lyrics	Various Artists
Book	Roger Bean
Productions	1999 Milwaukee 2001 Milwaukee 2006 Los Angeles 2008 Off-Broadway

The Marvelous Wonderettes is a musical comedy with a book by Roger Bean. It was recently played off-Broadway at the Westside Theatre in New York. The show, which uses pop songs from the '50s and '60s as a vehicle to tell its story, pays homage to the high school Songleader squads of the 1950s. When called upon to perform at their senior prom as a last minute replacement, Springfield High Songleaders, Betty Jean, Cindy Lou, Missy and Suzy, rally together to entertain their classmates in four-part harmony.

The songs they sing during the course of the musical include: "Lollipop"; "Dream Lover"; "Stupid Cupid"; "Lipstick on Your Collar"; "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me"; "It's My Party"; and "It's In His Kiss (The Shoop Shoop Song)".

The original off-Broadway cast included Beth Malone (Betty Jean); Victoria Matlock (Cindy Lou); Farah Alvin (Missy); and Bets Malone (Suzy). The musical opened September 14, 2008 at Westside Theatre in New York. Vocal arrangements and Musical Direction were by Brian William Baker and Roger Bean; choreography was by Janet Miller; the show was written and directed by Roger Bean and the creative team includes: Michael Carnahan (Sets), Bobby Pearce (Wigs and Costumes), Jeremy Pivnick (Lights) and Cricket S. Myers (Sound).

In 1998, fresh off a run of Bean's first musical, Don't Touch That Dial! at the Milwaukee Repertory Theater, Bean was asked to write a new musical for their intimate black box space, the Stackner Cabaret.Bean suggested a musical about high school song leaders from the '50s and '60s, best friends, singing at prom for their best friends and boyfriends. He would use pop songs from the '50s and '60s to tell story of the characters. In this way, The Marvelous Wonderettes was born in 1999.

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