ETC brings Winter & the Wonderettes back to OtR!
Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati Presents Winter Wonderettes This Summer
Winter in OTR lasts from June 24th - July 24th.
Unwrap a present this summer with Winter Wonderettes! There’s no better way to cool off from the summer heat than a Christmas-in-July celebration with the return of the original four Marvelous Wonderettes in this sequel to ETC’s biggest box office hit ever. Opening exactly six months before Christmas Eve, Winter Wonderettes. by Roger Bean, will play June 24-July 24, 2011. Directed by D. Lynn Meyers, with musical direction by Scot Woolley, and choreography by Patti James.
That’s right, Betty Jean, Cindy Lou, Missy, and Suzy return to ETC’s stage for a winter wonderland delight this summer. All four original cast members, Sara Mackie, Mia Gentile, Brooke Rucidlo, and Denise Devlin will rejoin ETC for this exciting regional premiere. Set in 1968, six months after the end of The Marvelous Wonderettes and their ten-year reunion, this sequel finds the girls returning to their hometown for a holiday celebration with their family and friends, complete with great Wonderettes renditions of ’60s holiday tunes. Betty Jean has organized the holiday party at Harper’s Hardware, so naturally the Wonderettes are the logical choice for the entertainment. when Santa turns up missing, the girls must use their talent and creative ingenuity, plus some great holiday tunes such as ‘Santa Baby,’ ‘Jingle Bell Rock’ and ‘It’s a Marshmallow World’ to rectify their holiday party without the jolly big guy in red. Now if she can just correct the huge clerical error that has fired the whole staff on Christmas Eve, it will be a Happy New Year for all. This energetic and entertaining show is guaranteed to delight audiences of all ages.
Ticket price is $30 for subscribers and $35 for non-subscribers.
About the Cast
Sara Mackie (Betty Jean) recently was seen on ETC’s stage in 25 The Musical, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Mauritius, and Alice in Wonderland. Her other credits include Linoleum in the uproarious The Great American Trailer Park Musical as well as the role of Izzy in Rabbit Hole. A graduate of Wright State University, she has previously performed on this stage in Ugly Duck, Cinderella, Cripple of Inishmann, A Sense of Place, War Games, Sleeping Beauty, and Around the World in 80 Days.
Mia Gentile (Missy) returns to ETC, having been seen in Cinderella and The Marvelous Wonderettes. A native of Westport, Connecticut, she is currently a senior musical theatre major at the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music. This past February, Ms. Gentile received an Acclaim Award for her recent performance as Trina in Falsettos at CCM. Other credits include: Millie in Thoroughly Modern Millie (New London Barn Playhouse); Mimi in Rent, Cosette in Les Misérables (Forestburgh Playhouse); Penelope Pennywise in Urinetown, Joanne “Bless the Lord” in Godspell, The Whore in Hello Again (CCM); and Dorothy in The Wiz (Staples Players).
Brooke Rucidlo (Suzy) returns to Ensemble Theatre’s stage, having made two very successful appearances as Cinderella this past holiday season and last spring as the bubble gum-chewing Prom Queen Suzy Simpson in the record-breaking production of The Marvelous Wonderettes, for which she received an Acclaim Award, as well as a CEA nomination as part of the ensemble. Recently, she appeared in the title role for Evita as the Covedale. Ms. Rucidlo studied musical theatre at Kent State University, and is currently studying at Northern Kentucky University.
Denise Devlin (Cindy Lou), a Cincinnati native, returns to ETC’s stage, just recently having sailed the Caribbean as a mainstage performer on the Disney Magic after her successful run in last season’s Marvelous Wonderettes. Select credits include Susie in the premiere of Snapshots at the Human Race Theatre, Gertrude in the National Tour of Seussical, Aldonza in Man of la Mancha (which toured to the Sibiu International Theatre Festival), and Maria in the concert version of West Side Story with the Kentucky Symphony Orchestra. She is a proud alumna of Northern Kentucky University, where she received her BFA in acting.
About the Playwright
Roger Bean directed the original Milwaukee Rep, Laguna Playhouse and Los Angeles productions of The Marvelous Wonderettes. For the Los Angeles production, Mr. Bean received a Los Angeles Ovation Award nomination for Best Director of a Musical, and The Marvelous Wonderettes received the 2007 Los Angeles Ovation Award for Best Musical. The Marvelous Wonderettes was also nominated for the 2009 Drama League Award for Distinguished Production of a Musical. Other musicals and revues created by Mr. Bean, commissioned and premiered at Milwaukee Repertory Theater, include The Andrews Brothers (Musical Theatre West, Fullerton CLO, Cabaret Oldtown, Cabrillo Music Theatre); Route 66 (Oregon Cabaret Theatre, Phoenix Theatre, Moonlight Avo Playhouse, Invisible Theatre, Seven Angels, Springer Opera House); Honky Tonk Laundry (Centerstage Spokane, Des Moines Playhouse, Oregon Cabaret, Art Station Theatre); Why Do Fools Fall In Love? (Rocky Mountain Repertory, Venice Little Theatre); Life Could Be A Dream (Majestic Theatre, Texas Family Musicals); and the holiday sequel to this show: Winter Wonderettes (Delaware Theatre Company, Laguna Playhouse, Water Tower Theatre, Great Plains Theatre Festival, El Portal Theatre).
Production team includes Brian C. Mehring (Set & Lighting Designer), Matthew Hollstegge (Production Coordinator & Master Electrician), Shannon Rae Lutz (Properties Master & Design Assistant), David Hunter (Sound Designer), Mark Sorensen (Costume Designer), Kelly Yurko (Wigs Designer), Scot Woolley (Musical Director), Patti James (Choreographer) and Aaron Clements (Technical Operations Director). Production Stage Manager is Brittanie Nicole Sicker.
Ticket Information
Ticket price is $30 for subscribers and $35 for non-subscribers.
Senior/student, Cincinnati Public Radio Perks Card, ArtsWave Card, AAA, and Enjoy the Arts discounts available. ETC accepts all major credit cards, Over-the-Rhine Merchant gift cards, and Downtown Cincinnati gift cards. Group rates are available for 10 or more people. Patrons may purchase tickets in person at the ETC box office (), by calling , or online at www.cincyetc.com.
