Once Again, Stage West Brilliantly Captures the Vibe of Another Era

Those of us who have reached a certain age remember fondly the 1950s and 1960s. We tend to view it as a less complicated and more innocent time when smoking (cigarettes) by the girls’ locker room could get you suspended from school. Maybe it was a more innocent time; maybe it wasn’t. However, when you go to see Stage West’s latest play, “The Marvelous Wonderettes” you can’t help but think about films such as “American Graffiti” and TV programs such as “Happy Days” and “The Lawrence Welk” show.

Directed by Ellen Nettnin, “The Marvelous Wonderettes” features just four female actors−Bella Bonati, playing Cindy Lou; Kristin Nelson, portraying Betty Jean; Beccy Porter, as Missy; and Aliya Weaver playing Suzy. The entire play takes play in a high school auditorium. In Act 1, it’s the 1958 Senior Prom and in Act 2 it’s ten years later at the high school reunion. At times, the actors interact with the audience, such as when they go around picking up the ballots for prom queen.

Considering the cast and crew had only eight weeks to prepare the play, Ellen expresses “wonder” that it all came together so well. She praises the four women for the research they did to prepare for their roles.

Ellen’s two favorite plays she directed were “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner” and “Jekyll and Hyde.” With the former, she states that the cast was so good that by the end of the second week of rehearsal, everyone had their lines memorized and she was able to focus on blocking and other technicalities.
She’s also done quite a bit of acting. Last year Ellen was in “The Laramie Project” and in 2022, she had a fairly large role in “All My Sons.”

This is a “jukebox” musical so many of the audience members will be familiar with most of the songs. Ellen is concerned that people will be comparing the four “Wonderettes” to the original singers and find them lacking. I know a lot of the songs and I thought that many of the renditions in the play were BETTER than the originals. All told, there are twenty-six songs in the production.

“I’ve been a teacher all my life, so what I like about directing is trying to find a way to communicate with the actors and get them to have that ‘a-ha moment’ of where they’re going to be going [with their characters].”

Ellen mostly focuses on depicting the relationships among the characters and encourages her cast to put their own interpretation into their parts rather than sticking strictly to her vision.

Her dream play to direct is “Pippin,” a musical about Charlemagne, the 8th Century king of the Franks.
“I love the timeless universal theme of going out into the world to find your purpose and sometimes it’s right in front of us and we don’t even realize it.”

The costumes, created by Linda Hougland and her crew, are fairly simple but authentically depict the styles of the two decades−the taffeta and crinoline gowns and the billowing tent dresses and go-go boots of the late 1950s and late 1960s, respectively. Then there are the hairdos−the pageboy styles of the ‘50s and the beehive updos of the ‘60s. Even Aliya’s hairstyle changes. Portraying an African-American girl she sports a chemically straightened hairdo in Act 1, but in Act 2 she has an Afro.

Bella Bonati has loved plays and acting since she was a child, so much so that her grandmother enrolled her in dance and acting classes. Her first part was in the show “Seussical” at Stage West.

“I find acting rewarding since I can understand other people’s feelings and actions when I portray them. This allows me to expand my friendships. Musical theater is a great outlet for me as I can combine various talents−singing, acting, and dancing.”

For Bella, the biggest challenge in portraying Cindy Lou is that she has to switch from a bossy, conceited girl who enjoys snippy remarks, to one who appears innocent and cutesy.

“What helped me overcome this challenge was continuously practicing within my own mirrored theater room.”

Bella’s love of the ‘50s and ‘60s rock and roll music made “The Marvelous Wonderettes” especially enjoyable for her and she states that she always wanted to live back in those days.

“I listen to old vinyl records all the time with my grandmother and it makes me so delighted to be able to perform some of my favorite songs on stage.”

For Kristin Nelson, who plays Betty Jean, acting in “The Marvelous Wonderettes” is a dream come true because she has wanted to be in this show for nearly ten years. However, there are other parts that are on her “bucket list,” such as Amalia in “She Loves Me” and Blanche in “Bonnie and Clyde.”

Kristin has performed many comedic roles and prefers those types of parts because she thrives off audience reactions and feels that hearing the laughter makes her a better performer.

As most actors will attest to, any role has its challenges. “My biggest challenge was working through the [voice] range of the character. Betty Jean is the alto of the show and it’s a range I’ve sung since high school, but I had to work on strengthening my lower range to be able to sing through the entire show,” Kristin states.

Beccy Porter probably faced the most challenges of the four actors in performing the part of Missy. She’s a little older than her character−she won’t say how much older it took a good bit of makeup and all of her method acting skills to make the character believable. Although I’ve seen Beccy in several other Stage West shows, she had me fooled. I would have never guessed that it was a middle-aged woman portraying an eighteen-year-old girl and then a twenty-eight-year-old adult.

Beccy has been acting for more than thirty years and has had a long career at Stage West. Some of the parts she’s played include the Wicked Witch in “The Wizard of Oz;” and Jinx, one of the fiery females in “Savannah Sipping Society.”

“Acting lets me become someone else and travel through space and time. It gives me immense joy to work with others to create a work of art,” remarks Beccy.

Twenty-five-year-old Aliya Weaver prepared for her role of Suzy by doing research on what a typical 1950s teenage girl would be like, such as her excitement about the future, perhaps her opinions, her insecurities. Suzy has one of the funniest lines in the show when she repeats several time “Tobacco can kill and make you ill” when referring to a boy caught smoking, not only in school but on the grounds of his father’s church! She repeatedly calls him a “Butthead.”

“I enjoy acting because I get to interact with people I wouldn’t normally connect with in everyday life and [portraying different characters] helps me to identify with people I wouldn’t normally identify with.”

Aliya was active in theatre during high school but took a six-year hiatus while she attended college and started her career. Then, last year she auditioned for “Drinking Habits One” at Stage West and landed the role of the newspaper reporter.

After being away from theatre all that time and not singing, Aliya found it a bit challenging to get her voice back in shape to sing the many songs that are part of “The Marvelous Wonderettes.” Some involved solos and others involved four-part harmony.

These tunes ranged from the catchy “Lollipop” and the beautifully harmonious “Mr. Sandman” to the soulful Fifth Dimension song “Wedding Bell Blues” and a slightly different version of Lesley Gore’s “You Don’t Own Me.” The quartet harmonized perfectly and, wonder of wonders, you could understand the lyrics!

Whether you’re a Baby Boomer and experienced much of what is in the play and listened to these songs on your 45 (RPM) records, grew up in the 1980s and watched the Fonz and Richie Cunningham on TV, or are part of Generation Z, you’ll thoroughly enjoy this fun salute to the music and culture of a bygone era.
Performances of “The Marvelous Wonderettes” are 7:30 p.m. on October 4th, 5th and 11th at 7:30 p.m. and October 6th, 12th and 13th at 2:00 p.m. The theatre is located at 8390 Forest Oaks Blvd. in Spring Hill. To purchase tickets go online to www.stagewestplayhouse.org or call 352-683-5113.