REVIEW: The Marvelous Wonderettes at Upstairs at The Gatehouse

Roger Bean’s The Marvelous Wonderettes has just opened its UK premiere Upstairs at The Gatehouse. Directed by Joseph Hodges, four students Missy (Sophie Camble), Cindy Lou (Rosie Needham), Betty Jean (Louise Young) and Suzy (Kara Taylor Alberts) are ‘The Marvelous Wonderettes’ and perform songs from the 50s and 60s.

The jukebox musical’s first act is set in 1958 at the Springfield High School’s Senior Prom. The storyline is weak, the songs are strung together with a bizarre mix of popularity, stealing boyfriends and being in love with a teacher. Unfortunately, this made the show overall quite boring as there was nothing to follow, the vocal arrangements and choreography were excellent but this was not enough to keep me wanting more. Act 2 is at the ten-year reunion of the four women in 1968. The story picks up and is much more dramatic (proposals, pregnancies, cheating) but didn’t grip me.