'The Marvelous Wonderettes' are truly marvelous

THE MARVELOUS WONDERETTES; Hale Center Theater Orem, 225 W. 400 North; now through Nov. 26; 801-226-8600 or www.haletheater.com; running time, two hours 10 minutes with one intermission.

OREM — You might think, with a limited number of actors on stage throughout an entire production and 33 golden oldies to squeeze in, that something like "The Marvelous Wonderettes" might be a bore.

It's anything but.

The staging of this 2008 off-Broadway hit is fresh, entertaining, funny and touching, as four girls at Springfield High come in at the last minute to sing their way from prom night to their 10-year reunion performance.

Director Neal Johnson and his wife, musical director Korianne Orton Johnson, have done a beautiful job of casting and coaching four singers into a polished quartet with lush, rich vocals.

Each one — from Julie Garcia as Cindy Lou, Kelly Hennessey as Suzy, Xandra Wille as Betty Jean and Mimi Knell as Missy (Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday cast) — has a remarkable set of pipes. They sing with range and feeling and, often throughout this show, a good amount of heated emotion.

The baleful looks at the phantom philanderer Johnny seated somewhere in the audience and shared expressions of jealousy and pique invite the audience into the character's hearts.

Wille is an especially sympathetic character as she tries to compete with the sleek, glamourous Cindy Lou. Hennessey comes across as sweet and guileless, so when she shows up obviously pregnant in the second half, it's easy to care about what is going on with Cindy Lou and Ritchie. By the way, Hennessey has a great giggle.

The segues into some of the songs from the '50s and '60s are purposefully obvious and handled with light humor, quite a trick when you're trying to work in "Leader of the Pack" and "It's My Party" without a ripple.

"Stupid Cupid" is delightful as is Cindy Lou's "Lucky Lips," where she has to sing slightly off-key without her horn-rimmed glasses.

Those who lived through the '50s and '60s will enjoy the songs and some of the props. Remember taking Polaroid pictures? For some songs, it's worth buying tickets for a second- or third-hearing.

Those who are younger get a glimpse into the musical journey that included trios like the Andrew Sisters and the Supremes.

All in all, it's a wonderful, yes, let's say marvelous journey. (On opening night, there were a couple of minor hitches, a trailing piece of slip and curtains that refused to completely close. But given the possibilities here for technical trouble, it went off almost flawlessly.)

There's never a dull moment. Even a couple of people in the audience played significant roles.

Watch it if you look like the teacher, "Mr. Lee," and make sure you vote correctly for prom queen.

Otherwise, just sit back and enjoy the musical ride.

Sharon Haddock is a professional writer with 30' years experience, 17 at the Deseret News. Her personal blog is at sharonhaddock.blogspot.com.

Email: haddoc@desnews.com