<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML><HEAD>
<META content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1" http-equiv=Content-Type>
<META name=GENERATOR content="MSHTML 9.00.8112.16434">
<STYLE></STYLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY bgColor=#ffffff>
<DIV>
<P style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal
align=center><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Beck Center’s jukebox
musical soars, despite its material <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns =
"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p></SPAN></B></P>
<P style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal
align=center><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></B></P>
<P style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal
align=center><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Bob
Abelman<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal
align=center><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal
align=center><I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">News-Herald,
Chagrin Valley Times, Solon Times,<o:p></o:p></SPAN></I></P>
<P style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal
align=center><I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">The
Morning Journal, Geauga Times Courier<o:p></o:p></SPAN></I></P>
<P style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal
align=center><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Member,
American Theatre Critics Association <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal
align=center><I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></I></P>
<P style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal
align=center><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">This
review will appear in the <I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">News-Herald
</I></SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">on
9/23/11<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal
align=center><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'">Jukebox
musicals—those theatrical productions that </SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN"
lang=EN>use previously released popular songs as their musical scores—are a
mixed bag</SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'">.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Some manage to merge brilliant,
memorable music with solid storytelling.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>Others, not so much.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold">At the top
of the food chain is the <SPAN style="COLOR: black">biographical variety of the
jukebox musical, such as <I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Jersey Boys</I>.
<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Actors impersonate the actual
artists (in this case, The Four Seasons) and perform their songs as
accompaniment to the telling of their life stories.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><o:p></o:p></SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; COLOR: black; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold">Down a
rung or two are the musical revues.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>These productions showcase the collective works of a particular composer,
such as the songs of Jerry </SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; COLOR: black; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-ansi-language: EN"
lang=EN>Leiber and Mike Stoller </SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold">in the
show <I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Smokey Joe’s Café</I>, </SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-ansi-language: EN"
lang=EN>without being tied to a storyline or revealing biographical
insight.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>It’s all about the
music. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-ansi-language: EN"
lang=EN><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><I><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-ansi-language: EN" lang=EN>The
Marvelous Wonderettes</SPAN></I><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-ansi-language: EN"
lang=EN>, currently on stage at the Beck Center for the Arts in Lakewood, is an
example of the </SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; COLOR: black; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold">bottom
feeder of jukebox musicals: the remix narrative.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; COLOR: black; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; COLOR: black; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold">Shows
like this recycle popular tunes and interweave them with a skeletal storyline
that is inspired by the music but has nothing at all to do with the original
artists.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The appeal of a remix
narrative is the nostalgia generated by the pop music of our youth.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The storyline is merely a hook on which
to hang songs that otherwise have no unifying themes or connective tissue.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-ansi-language: EN"
lang=EN><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-ansi-language: EN"
lang=EN><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-ansi-language: EN"
lang=EN>The storyline in <I>The Marvelous Wonderettes</I>, written by Roger
Bean, is rice paper thin.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-ansi-language: EN"
lang=EN><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-ansi-language: EN"
lang=EN>It features four female best friends who, at their 1958 senior prom,
provide the evening’s entertainment.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>Between the performance of period songs such as “Mr. Sandman” and
“Sincerely,” we learn about the girls’ dreams and aspirations.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Act 2 takes place at a 10-year reunion
and, amidst renditions of “It’s in His Kiss” and “It’s My Party” among others,
the girls share their achievements and disappointments. <SPAN
style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </SPAN><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-ansi-language: EN"
lang=EN><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-ansi-language: EN"
lang=EN>The play certainly pushes the nostalgia button for those with first-hand
experience with this music and this particular strain of teenage angst, but it
is also woefully predictable and frequently inane fare. <SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The girls’ superficial and often silly
musings are insufficient support for a musical—even a remix narrative jukebox
musical—and their connection to the songs that spring forth without much buildup
is tenuous at best and frequently forced.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-ansi-language: EN"
lang=EN><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-ansi-language: EN"
lang=EN>Nonetheless, this Beck Center production of <I>The Marvelous
Wonderettes</I> is nothing if not flat-out marvelous.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The credit clearly goes to the four
performers and their wonderful, off-stage back-up band. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-ansi-language: EN"
lang=EN><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-ansi-language: EN"
lang=EN>Caitlin Elizabeth Riley, Amiee Collier, Nikki Curmaci and Theresa Kloos
create distinctive, textured and abundantly appealing personas that are at once
familiar and beguiling.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-ansi-language: EN"
lang=EN><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-ansi-language: EN"
lang=EN>Each of the four has a world-class singing voice that, collectively,
captures the magical harmonies of the ageless classics they perform and, when
placed as the lead vocal, sells these songs for all they are
worth.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-ansi-language: EN"
lang=EN><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-ansi-language: EN"
lang=EN>Each of the four effortlessly executes the thoroughly charming,
era-appropriate dance steps created by Riley, who is credited as the show’s
choreographer. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-ansi-language: EN"
lang=EN><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-ansi-language: EN"
lang=EN>In short, Riley, Collier, Curmaci and Kloos are superb.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The two hour production of <I>The
Marvelous Wonderettes</I> would seem endless in lesser hands but flies by in
theirs.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The second act, which
shamelessly overextends this show’s precarious </SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; COLOR: black; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold">hook,
comes across as a bonus thanks to these performers.</SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-ansi-language: EN">
<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><SPAN
lang=EN><o:p></o:p></SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-ansi-language: EN"
lang=EN><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-ansi-language: EN"
lang=EN>The music provided by Karen Langenwalter on reeds, David Maxson and
Jesse Fishman on guitar, Bill Hart on drums, and Larry Goodpaster and Bryan Bird
on keyboards is tight, true to the original recordings, and
transportive.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-ansi-language: EN"
lang=EN><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-ansi-language: EN"
lang=EN>Director William Roudebush wisely stays out of the way of what by all
appearances is a perpetual motion machine of a musical, requiring no winding or
maintenance to run smoothly.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>His
initial conception and construction, and that of Ben Needham’s realistic high
school gym set, is more than sufficient to keep this show going and going
strong.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-ansi-language: EN"
lang=EN><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-ansi-language: EN"
lang=EN>The song that ends the first act of <I>The Marvelous Wonderettes</I> is
Karen Chandler’s “Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me.”<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>This production, thanks to Riley,
Collier, Curmaci and Kloos, does just that. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-ansi-language: EN"
lang=EN><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><I><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN"
lang=EN>The Marvelous Wonderettes</SPAN></I><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-ansi-language: EN"
lang=EN> </SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">runs through October
16 at the Beck Center for the Arts in Lakewood.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>For tickets, which range from $10-$28,
call 216-521-2540 x 10 or visit <A href=""><FONT
color=#002bb8>www.beckcenter.org</FONT></A>.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P></DIV></BODY></HTML>