Center Stage: ‘Winter Wonderettes’ holiday show at Off Broadway Palm
Are you missing BIG ARTS holiday Christmas show, titled “Winter Wonderettes,” this season? Well guess what? You’re in luck! Because the Off Broadway Palm Theatre in Fort Myers is featuring a super duper production of it until Dec. 25.
The nifty production has a fine cast of four talented ladies: terrific Sarah Mae Banning as Cindy Lou, making her Broadway Palm debut; winning Lexie Wolfe playing Suzy, who is also making her Broadway Palm debut; and gifted Broadway Palm regulars Sarah Hinricksen (Betty Jean) and Melissa Whitworth (Missy.) Choreographer Amy Marie McCleary not only choreographed this delightful show, she also directed the production. McCleary has “knocked it out of the park” with fresh witty staging and choreography, along with crisp-paced comedy and dialogue.
As you recall, Roger Bean’s “Winter Wonderettes” takes place on Christmas Eve 1968 at Harper’s Hardware during its annual Holiday Happenings party. The staff – Missy, Suzy, Betty Jean and Cindy Lou – have cooked up a “rockin'” ’60s holiday party for Harper’s store. The ladies provide the furiously funny material that lasts about 90 minutes, including intermission. These perky Wonderettes warble at least 25 holiday tunes: “Jingle Bell Rock,” “A Marshmallow World,” “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” “Sleigh Ride” and “Jingle Bells,” to name but a few.
Be forewarned, the gals do go out into the audience to get bell ringers on stage to jingle. Someone also gets to be Santa, and the rest of the audience participates in this zippy giddy show. So now, make your holiday wish come true by joining the “Winter Wonderettes” at the Off Broadway Palm by calling the box office at 239-278-4422 for reservations. When you phone remind ’em Marsha sent you.
More great news, on Nov. 28 BIG ARTS launched Open Mic at the Strauss Theater. It will be a regular event this season, with the next one on Dec. 19. Open Mic had its beginnings at the Sanibel Bean. It’s a platform where local poets and prose writers get to read their material before an audience. The event was founded by our island’s poet laureate Joe Pacheco. Pacheco opened the proceedings with a warm welcome and introduced the evening’s featured poet, Jim Gustafson.
After thanking Pacheco for fielding the event, Gustafson read from his published book of poetry, titled “Friar Fred’s Diary” – daily musings about a life devoted to serving God. My take away from this appealing diary: “Seek always to please your Father.” What a great opener, using wonderful whirling words. The insightful poem was followed by Pacheco’s witty, wise and terse admonishment to poetry writers,”Don’t Blow It Poet.”
Robert Hilliard followed and drolly elaborated with his advice to today’s poets and their use of words. Nancy Carlyle did a 180-degree turnabout with her piece of prose about a retired couple living on Sanibel, while Larry Stiles read three, short amusing pieces dedicated to Pacheco. Patty Mona’s poem focused on how “there should be nothing here, that I don’t remember.” Holly McIntyre described artist Joan Mitchell’s paintings perfectly in “Abstract Expressionism.” Love at first sight was captured totally in Stan Smith’s poem of the same name. Marjorie Pacheco’s “Emails from A Poet’s Wife #3” gave me the evening’s biggest chuckle.
Duke Barron’s poem centering on Robert Frost’s poem “Mending Wall” juxtaposed to President Trump’s wall, making a perfect comment on today’s media news reports. Frost’s logical “good fences make good neighbors” set against Trump’s “Let’s keep out the undesirables.” Livi’s “Ode To The Car” was a sweet reminder all the fun automobiles provide for us. Pacheco brought the evening to a close with a humorous, humdinger Char-truce rhymes with puce, (colors or drinks) Joe can’t abide; and a reminder about the next Open Mic. To which I can only add, be there or be square!