Winter Wonderettes

On Saturday I went with a social group to see the show Winter Wonderettes, presented by One Thirty Productions at the Bath House Cultural Center in Dallas. The site was originally an actual building for changing and showering beside a lake that was then safe for swimming. When the lake was closed to swimming, the building sat neglected for many years, but eventually was reclaimed and renovated as a cultural center. Now there is a black box theater, visual art displays, and historical displays as well. It has been one of the homes of One Thirty Productions for quite a few years. I wasn't sure whether I'd write about this production, because it's very far outside my usual subject matter. But then, I once wrote about a youth production of the musical Shrek, and it's my blog, so here goes!

Bath House Cultural Center

Winter Wonderettes is a really cute jukebox musical written and created by Roger Bean with vocal arrangements by Roger Bean and Brian Baker. As such, the story is simple--a girl group entertaining the troops at a corporate Christmas party in 1963. There is the expected Story Complication, and also the expected Happy Ending. Each of the four girls has a distinct character, and as the show unfolds we see more and more inside of each girl. The girls have been a group since high school days, and now in adulthood (I'd say mid 20s, based on the times and life events revealed about each character) they still perform sometimes. Missy, played with gusto by Janelle Lutz, is the young bride in the group, and it seems something has been awakened within her on her recent honeymoon. Suzy, the homemaker of the group, already has a set of twins and is expecting a third child. (Her husband Richie is an unseen character as the lighting guy for this show, and reveals his feelings with lighting changes.)  As Suzy, Gena Loe deserves special acclaim for acting like the awkward girl who reveals herself to be a very fine dancer. Cindy Lou, played beautifully by Rebecca Paige, is the sensitive girl who tries to be hard, the drifter who longs for stability, the sexy girl who longs for a home life. And Betty Jean is the obligatory cynical character, the only one who actually works for the business hosting the holiday party, played with great dedication by Marianne Galloway. I should also give credit to Director K. Doug Miller, Musical Director Hans Grim, and Choreographer Megan Kelly Bates.

There were many special moments.  I loved so many of the spirited arrangements and girl-group dance moves, but I think the best parts were the solo moments.  Even in the ensemble number "Santa Baby", each character shone in her solo moments. I adored Cindy Lou's "All Those Christmas Cliches". Betty Jean's "Christmas Will Be Just Another Lonely Day" was heartbreaking. Missy was great fun to watch in "Mele Kalikimaka" and Suzy was a riot with "Donde Esta Santa Claus?"  I loved how the girls interacted with the audience, and I have to give them special credit for acting quickly when they realized that the audience member they had singled out as Missy's new husband had mobility limitations--they were there immediately to help with support when they asked him to come on stage, and they rushed Santa's chair to him rather than asking to walk to it.

Flaws? Yes, there were some. There were balance issue, and I think the nature of the performance space didn't help that. Intonation was not always perfect. But who cares? I came away with a very positive impression and thankful for a very fun performance experience.  I look forward to seeing future productions from One Thirty Productions.