No matter how you look at it, opening a Christmas show four days before Christmas is odd.
While I am writing this on Christmas Eve, you are most probably reading it after the wrapping paper has been discarded and the tree needles have begun to drop. But then again, everything about the script for Winter Wonderettes, Roger Bean’s holiday-themed follow-up to his Marvelous Wonderettes, is a little bit like holiday lights on Boxing Day. Sure, they’re still pretty, but the magic has been stripped away.
That isn’t to say that Bay Area Music Theatre’s show (at the new Marin Shakespeare downtown space through Jan. 5) isn’t a good production. Director Robert Currier has done an admirable job of casting. The ensemble is tight, and all four actors have a stage presence that is only surpassed by their voices. Costumes by Ashley Garlick are – please excuse the pun – pitch-perfect, and the set by Jackson Currier makes excellent use of the space. It is a technicolor explosion of Christmas that feels as dated as the songs being sung, though it is only a little under 25 years old.
Set at the 1968 Harpers Hardware Holiday Happening, all four girls from the original Springfield High Song leaders are back. Missy (Anna Vorperian) is a newlywed, Suzy (HarriettePearl Fugitt) is heavily pregnant, Betty Jean (Heather Mae Steffen) is newly dumped, and Cindy Lou (Gillian Eichenberger) is searching for purpose. Things quickly go wrong when Santa Claus can’t be found, and a big holiday surprise is not what anyone expects.
As in the original, there is audience participation that, depending on the audience, can be fun, funny, or creepy. However, the decision to let Fugitt be the one ensuring that the audience sings along is a brilliant call. Fugitt always brings something a little off-kilter to the characters she plays, which makes her characters more intriguing and/or scary in the best way possible. In fact, all four performers are both excellent actors and singers, which is rare no matter what and even rarer considering how silly this script is.
The bottom line is If you are looking for high art or thought-provoking theater, this isn’t for you. But if you’re just looking for a fluffy bit of Christmas nostalgia, this might be the glittery ticket. Of course, Christmas itself will be nostalgia by then, so bring your suspension of disbelief and leave your cynicism at the door.
Bay Area Music Theatre presents ‘The Winter Wonderettes’ through January 5 at Marin Shakespeare Company’s Center for Performing Arts, Education, and Social Justice at 514 4th Street, San Rafael. Thurs – Sat, 7:30 pm; Sun, 1 pm. $15-$40. 415.388.5208. marinshakespeare.org
