Mhairi Berg, Rachel Bowron, Autumn-Joy Dames, Rachel Bowron in The Marvelous Wonderettes: Dream On, Mayfield Theatre. Photo by Marc J Chalifoux
By Liz Nicholls,
The frothy musical currently running at the Mayfield is one of those fizzy, light-headed entertainments that remind you what fun it can be to have an evening at the theatre ruled by charm. Charm and hit songs that you know, smartly arranged to show off four likeable, accomplished performers singing in close harmony, with amusing synchronized moves.
That The Marvelous Wonderettes: Dream On, directed and choreographed with comic pizzaz by Julie Tomaino, is all-girl all the way (and involves white go-go boots) is the capper.
Forget for the evening that high school is where you got totally screwed up and stayed that way for life. It’s also where your personal party soundtrack comes from. Grease and Footloose are downright doom-laden in comparison to The Marvelous Wonderettes: Dream On, a girl-group response of sorts to the guy-group’s Forever Plaid. It lifts off and stays air-borne, with occasional glimpses of the ground but no intention of actually landing.
It’s the fourth instalment of a (so far) five-part series of Wonderette musicals launched by Roger Bean in 2000, that takes the title girl group from the sock hop at Springfield High (“Go, Chipmunks!”) through grad to so-called adulthood, school reunions, careers, husbands, and all that. In Act 1 it’s 1969, 10 years after grad, and the Wonderettes are back together, for a retirement party in honour of their favourite home-room teacher. Miss McPherson still hasn’t finished grading five semesters worth of papers (they’re presented to a lucky audience member in a huge stack of boxes). And after 39 years of “entirely satisfactory service” she can’t get her special retirement prizes, including a free correspondence course in real estate, until she finishes.
Evidently Wonderettes creator Roger Bean spent almost no time thinking about a book to house 32 (!) hit songs of the ‘60s and ‘70s (it can’t even decide if the house has a fourth wall or not), or dialogue. And neither should you. You have better things to do (like clap, and hum, feel those dance moves in your shoulders and elbows, order a glass of wine, etc.).
Louise Duff (centre), Mhair Berg, Autumn-Joy Dames, Rachel Bowron in The Marvelous Wonderettes: Dream On, Mayfield Theatre. Photo by Marc J Chalifoux.
Anyhow, at the outset the Wonderettes introduce themselves (“Go, Chipmunks!”), in their signature colours, with signature personality traits. In candy pink, Cindy-Lou (Louise Duff), who’s now Cynthia if you please, is the confident one. In green, Betty-Jean (Autumn-Joy Dames) has a touch of snarky and a whiff of grievance. In blue, comical dimbulb Suzy (Rachel Bowron) misses the point and then blurts whole life chapters in a high-speed jumble. In orange, bespectacled nerd Missy (Mhairi Berg) is a bossy boots.
This is a deluxe cast. At the outset, as the actors convey, the characters are a wee bit self-conscious (a decade will do that) but game; they seem to recognize that “Go, Chipmunks” and their group choreography are just a bit goofy. But they’re prepared to be amused. They are unfazed by their popsicle-hued LOVE lollipops (in a selection of foreign languages, as they explain), whilst singing the classic “L is for the way you look at me….”).
And their life “revelations” are nicely judged by Duff, Dames, Bowron and Berg not to sink like stones instead of ice cubes in the bubbles. Suzy’s husband is kind of but not really but sort of unemployed ever since he kind of sort of got canned from the matchbox factory. Betty Jean has a no-goodnik off- and on-again boyfriend she keeps throwing out who keeps coming back. Missy now has a Band of Gold as the song goes: she’s MRS. Missy Lee, married to her idol, another Springfield teacher Mr. Lee, but has had to shelve her dream of a house with white picket-fence. Cindy-Lou, a source of friction in the friend quartet since she’s the guy magnet, has dreams of a music career in New York, and (spoiler alert) she leaves for the Big Apple just before intermission.
Why on earth am I telling you this? It’s the “story,” for heaven’s sake, which is just about the last thing you need to know to have a blast from the past at the Mayfield. Relax, the only narrative arc in The Marvelous Wonderettes: Dream On has to do with the entire staff and management of Springfield High sneaking off to the Do Drop Inn to have it off with each other.
There’s a sort of jaunty glow of well-being exuded by the close four-part harmony arrangements of Michael Borth (musical direction by the expert Jennifer McMillan), woven together in two-and-three song medleys. And it even extends to 70s ballads and odes of yearning, grievance, and dissatisfaction, like The Foundations’ Build Me Up Buttercup, when we get to Act 2, where there’s a greater proportion of solos with backups.
It’s 1978, and the 20-year reunion of the Wonderettes in the Springfield High school gymnasium with the neon proscenium (designer: Ivan Siemens). The Wonderettes, back together, are still perky, but up against it. Their psychedelic bell-bottom jumpsuits (costume design: Jessica Oostergo) are particularly cruel. And all four have discovered (or re-discovered) gaps and downsides to their relationships — namely, their guys.
Men, even the greats like Principal Varney, are such treacherous jerks. Linda Ronstadt put it better: “You’re no good you’re no good you’re no good, baby you’re no good.” They’re AWOL (or off at the Do Drop Inn). They’re not like forever friends.
The book, thin as gauze, is just kind of stuck together. So the four performers, estimable actors all, are on their own to fashion individual “characters” from bits and pieces. They do, somehow, because they’re skilled. And besides, they have an excellent five-member band to be onstage with. They deliver a huge song list with verve and bounce; the sound quality and mix (designed and operated by Harley Symington) are impeccable, as always at the Mayfield. And the songs keep coming. What fun.
REVIEW
The Marvelous Wonderettes: Dream On
Theatre: Mayfield Dinner Theatre, 16615 109 AVe.
Written and created by: Roger Bean; vocal and musical arrangements by Michael Borth
Directed by: Julie Tomaino
Musical director: Jennifer McMillan
Starring: Mhairi Berg, Rachel Bowron, Autumn-Joy Dames, Louise Duff (standbys: Bella King, Layne Labbe)
Running: through Nov. 1
Tickets: mayfieldfieldtheatre.ca, 780-483-4051