Arts & Entertainment A Musical Blast From The Past The Marvelous Wonderettes brings hits of the '50s and '60s to the Gem Theatre stage. Marley DelDuchetto and Laura Hall. The musical was written by Roger Bean and directed by three-time Tony Award-winner Hinton Battle and brings roducer William Franzblau in Broadway music director Michael Roberts recent years has brought indi- to Motown. vidual shows to Detroit — Little Roberts, who wrote the incidental music House on the Prairie, for the off-Broadway hit Jewtopia, will be Respect: A Musical at the helm for the many nostalgic num- Journey of Women and bers, including "Lollipop,""Stupid Cupid" Say Goodnight, Gracie and "Mr. Sandman" from the 1950s as well — but now is staging three productions simul- as "Wedding Bell Blues,""Heat Wave" and "I Only Want to Be With You" from the taneously inside the 1960s. Gem Theatre complex. "I have had a great deal of success The Marvelous Producer with the Detroit market as the people in a musical Wonderettes, William Michigan are very supportive of good about a girl-group quar- Franzblau theater': says Franzblau, who has been tet, opened Feb. 3 and managing entertainment initiatives since is the centerpiece at the Gem Theatre. On stage at the Century Theatre are Defending his college years. "With the current economy, something the Caveman, which debued Feb. 3, and like The Marvelous Wonderettes should be The Male Intellect: An Oxymoron?, pre- perfect for the community — a fun show miering Feb. 10. "When I saw The Marvelous Wonderettes with a lot of heart." Franzblau, 56, began his serious theatri- in New York, I thought it was a perfect cal career producing the touring version of show for Detroit': Franzblau says. "It has universal themes and familiar music from the Broadway hit Beatlemania and moved on to productions of the Moscow Circus the 1950s and 1960s that Detroit audi- and the musical adaptation of former ences will recognize' Detroiter and moviemaker Sam Raimi's The musical unfolds in two acts — the Evil Dead trilogy, entitled Evil Dead the first taking place at a senior prom in 1958 and the second taking place at the 10-year Musical. The producer of Jewtopia and the reunion of that class. father-in-law of a rabbi, Franzblau came The Wonderettes cast members, show- to the area to launch Wonderettes and is ing how musical careers have changed the lives of the quartet's singers by the time of working with Andrea Kannon, of Ferndale, the reunion, will be portrayed by New York as she oversees wardrobe and props. "We were able to get costumes and actresses Gretchen Bieber, Holly Davis, Suzanne Chessler Special to the Jewish News P Also At The Gem Two one-man comedic shows alternate weeklong runs in the Century Theatre at the Gem. Defending the Caveman, which opened Feb. 3, features Ben Tedder exploring common themes in relation- ships and the different ways men and women love, laugh and fight. The Chicago-based actor gives his own take to Rob Becker's scenarios. The Male Intellect: An Oxymoron? features actor-writer Robert Dubac trying to figure out what women want. A New York City production of The Marvelous Wonderettes: Audiences will bask in girl-group renditions of oldies like "The Shoop-Shoop Song" and "Leader of the Pack." props from a production in Florida': says the 25-year-old Kannon, who has been working in theater since graduating from Wayne State University in 2006. "I'm in charge of making the dresses fit the new cast members, and I'll be buying shoes, jewelry and accessories. Most of the props came in good condition, but we do have to buy and build some new things." Kannon, who has done most of her work at the Gem, also has had assign- ments at Planet Ant and Performance Network in Ann Arbor. She toured with Menopause The Musical. "The costumes are beautiful, and they reflect the characters' personalities," says Kannon, who graduated from Ferndale High School and had her bat mitzvah at Congregation Beth Shalom in Oak Park. "Each character has her own color in both acts — blue, orange, pink or green. In the first act, the styles are similar, but each one has its own flare. In the second act, the outfits match except for the colors." Kannon decided she wanted to work behind the scenes in professional theater while participating in high-school pro- ductions, including I Never Saw Another Butterfly, based on children's poems writ- ten during the Holocaust. She earned a bachelor's degree in theater and design technology. Kannon explains that her plans for most plays come together through script study, rehearsal processes and production meetings. Because the development of Wonderettes began in New York, there were lots of e-mails. With Dubac taking on many roles, the theater piece starts Feb.10 and offers different approaches to roman- tic success – honesty, communication, passion, humor and sensitivity. Both productions begin at 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays-Thursdays, 8:30 p.m. Andrea Kannon of Ferndale is in charge of wardrobe and props. "This show has been fun," says Kannon, who hopes to get a master's degree and teach at the university level. "During the actual production, I'll be backstage to make sure everything is ready and then clean up afterwards. "Although I bring in people when I need special stitching and attention to building up bigger props, mostly I'm by myself. I really like working with the shows as they are in production:' The Marvelous Wonderettes is in an open-ended run (tickets are on sale for performances through March 28) at the Gem Theatre, 333 Madison, in Detroit. Performances are 8 p.m. Wednesdays, 2 and 8 p.m. Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays, 3 and 8 p.m. Saturdays and 2 and 6 p.m. Sundays. $28-$42.50. (313) 963- 9800; www.gemtheatre.com . Fridays, 5:30 and 8:30 p.m. Saturdays and 3 p.m. Sundays at the cabaret- style Century Theatre in the Gem, 333 Madison, in Detroit. $34.50, with discounts for individuals going to more than one production. (313) 963-9800; www.gemtheatre.com . February 4 • 2010 33