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The Marvelous Wonderettes at Candlelight Pavilion

CLAREMONT, CA— Featuring your favorite songs from the ’50s and 60’s, The Marvelous Wonderettes takes you back to the 1958 Springfield High School Prom, where we meet Betty Jean, Cindy Lou, Missy and Suzy, four girls with hopes and dreams as big as their crinoline skirts and voices to match!

The Marvelous Wonderettes is a musical comedy written by Roger Bean and features many popular songs from both the 1950’s and the 1960’s. The show centers around four girls, Betty Jean, Cindy Lou, Missy and Suzy, who are the Song leaders of their high school. It is 1958, and they have just replaced the original entertainment for their “Super Senior Prom” and are prepared to take the audience (or prom-goers) on an entertaining adventure as they compete for Prom Queen and share stories of their sweethearts. As ACT II opens, the girls have fast-forwarded to 1968 and have returned to Springfield High for their ten year reunion, and the Marvelous Wonderettes are again the entertainment for the evening.

The inspiration for The Marvelous Wonderettes came to Roger Bean when he discovered that his mother had been a song leader for her high school. He had grown up listening to her sing the songs from the 50’s and the 60’s and he began to brainstorm on a new musical. In 1999, Bean finished the script for The Marvelous Wonderettes, but it was not without difficulty. The show was to be performed at the Stackner Cabaret in Milwaukee, which had limited backstage space; therefore Bean wrote the script so that the actors could stay onstage for most of the show without needing to utilize the backstage area. Therefore, the original production was performed in one Act. It has since grown to a two-Act show.

In 2006 the show was moved to the El Portal Theater for two years with the help of David Elzer and Peter Schneider. Due to the production at the El Portal Theater, the show received multiple Ovation awards. The show then moved to the Westside Theater in New York City and opened in September 2008 and ran through January of 2010.

The Candlelight is now Shoo-Bopin’ back to 1958 with The Marvelous Wonderettes. This nostalgic show is brought together by the direction of Daniel Thomas, Musical Direction by Allen Everman and Choreography by Jenn Aedo. When speaking with Thomas, he shared his views on not only directing the show, but what he enjoyed about the production, “Of course, every song in the show makes you want to sing along; but the thing I love about ‘The Marvelous Wonderettes’ even more than the music is that the show is about friendship – and that true friends can survive the ups and downs that life brings and continue to make great music together. I’m very excited that the cast and staff that I get to work with, in addition to being very talented, are wonderful friends and wonderful people, and that will make the show even more enjoyable for the audience.” The cast includes Katie DeShan as Suzy, Hilary Maiberger as Cindy Lou, Bernadette Peters as Missy and Jennifer Strattan as Betty Jean. You will have to come and see the work that the production staff and the Wonderettes themselves have put into this marvelous production!

The Marvelous Wonderettes opens August 26th at the Candlelight Pavilion Dinner Theater. Tickets are available by calling (909) 626-1254, ext 1. Regular ticket prices range from $48-$68 which includes both dinner and show. Group rates are available for parties of 10 or more at even lower rates. The opening night performance on August 26th is a show-only preview night available for $20.00 per ticket. The Candlelight Pavilion is proud to announce its flexible payment plans to all Season ticket holders; save 10% on season tickets when you book as few as four shows.   For more information regarding the 2011 and 2012 season line-ups and ticketing, please visit us online at www.thecpdt.com.

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