reviewed by Tony Annicone
Ivoryton Playhouse’s holiday show this year is “Winter Wonderettes” created by Roger Bean. It is 1968 and the audience is at the annual Christmas party at the Essex Hardware Store. The quartet of Missy, Suzy, Betty Jean and Cindy Lou, first introduced to us in “The Marvelous Wonderettes”, have decorated the hardware store and are now prepared to entertain the crowd. Some of their numbers include the 1960’s classics “Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town”, “Jingle Bell Rock”, “Run Rudolph Run” and “Winter Wonderland” and these gals will knock your socks off all night long.
The girls are the sassy siren Cindy Lou, the silly and pregnant for the second time Suzy, the serious newly married Missy and the edgy clown, Betty Jean. The girls like to air their real lives to the public. They share their life’s, loves and failures with a bright gleam in their eye and a funny punch line to keep you laughing all night long. Their vocal prowess and harmonic abilities are astounding. The brightly colored set is by Martin Scott Marchitto and the beautiful and brightly colored costumes are by Elizabeth A. Saylor. She also did the 1968 wig and hair designs. Director J. Clayton Winters, musical director Mark Ceppetelli and choreographer Elizabeth McGuire bring merriment and enjoyment to the entire audience with their expertise.
Winters blocks the show wonderfully and brings out the best in each of these four performers. Their interactions with each other and their conversations directly to the audience are beautifully done. Ceppetelli plays lead keyboards and conducts a five piece orchestra which is onstage the whole 90 minute show. He brings out fabulous harmonies in the group numbers while McGuire gives the girls clever 1960’s dance moves. One of the best things about the show is that it gets audience members to participate in their wild and crazy Christmas antics.
The four-part harmony in the opening number “Mister Santa” done to the tune of “Mr. Sandman” starts the show off with a bang. It continues with “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” by Betty Jean, “Man with a Bag” by Suzy, “It’s a Time for Thinking About Christmas” by Cindy Lou and “Christmas Around the World” by Missy. These four incredible actresses are Meagan Lewis-Michelson as the red head, Betty Jean, Emily Kay Shrader as Suzy, who wears a blonde wig and a huge pregnancy bump all show long, Daron Cockerell as the statuesque Cindy Lou who wears a brunette beehive wig and Katie Bates as Missy, the pert brunette who’s newly married to Bill (an unsuspecting gentleman from the audience).
Since there are so many songs in the show, I will hit upon some of the highlights. Betty Jean’s been having trouble with her boyfriend, Johnny. She receives some bad news and turns to drinking from a flask in Act 2. She has to sing “O Christmas Tree” in German which she despises and wants to flirt with Bob, one of the plumbers sitting in the audience. Meagan also sings the serious “What are you Doing New Year’s Eve.” Meagan is a hoot in this comic role, especially funny when she crawls back onstage after intermission. Emily is hilarious as she continually wants to jump to the part in the script where the audience hunts for an elf and then later on does a marvelous tap dance. Her antics while pregnant are priceless.
Daron is very funny as the woman who wants to leave town for a better life, but when asked about her best Christmas, tells the story of the last Christmas spent with her father before he left her mother and herself. “A Cliche for Christmas” number is very poignant and brings tears to the eyes of the audience. Katie is splendid as the flirty Missy who continually displays her wedding ring to the crowd while blowing kisses to and winking at her Bill in the audience. She does a striptease number that has to be seen to be believed. Katie also brings folks up from the audience to jingle bells, ring bells and sound like a bell. All of them divide up the audience to perform with them during “Jingle Bells” and other numbers. Another hilarious group number is “Run Reindeer Run” with girls wearing antlers. The show closes with “Winter Wonderettes” song done to the melody of “Winter Wonderland.” So, for a fun filled entertaining Christmas musical treat, that isn’t “A Christmas Carol”, be sure to catch “Winter Wonderettes” at Ivoryton Playhouse. It is a show that can be enjoyed by people of all ages. For tickets go to their website at www.ivorytonplayhouse.org Their 2023 season begins in April and the shows are “The Legend of Georgia McBride”, “On Golden Pond”, “The Sound of Music”, “Jersey Boys”, “The Color Purple” and TBA Christmas Show. Looks like an exciting year to come. Kudos on this wonderful closing show of Ivoryton Playhouse’s 2022 season.
WINTER WONDERETTES (17 November to 18 December)
Ivoryton Playhouse, 103 Main Street, Ivoryton, CT
1(860)767-7318
