(HACKETTSTOWN, NJ) -- Centenary Stage Company and the NEXTStage Repertory are currently in rehearsals for the final mainstage production of the 2022 Summerfest, The Marvelous Wonderettes. This show will run July 28 through August 7 in the Sitnik Theatre of the Lackland Performing Arts Center on the Centenary University campus at 715 Grand Avenue, Hackettstown, NJ. This Off-Broadway hit takes you to the 1958 Springfield High School prom, where we meet Betty Jean, Cindy Lou, Missy, and Suzy: four girls with hopes and dreams as big as their crinoline skirts!
As we learn about their lives and loves, the girls serenade us with classic ‘50s hits including “Lollipop,” “Dream Lover,” “Stupid Cupid,” and “Lipstick on Your Collar.” In Act II, the Wonderettes reunite to take the stage and perform at their ten-year reunion. We learn about the highs and lows the girls have experienced in the past decade and are charmed to find that no matter what life throws their way, they will conquer it together. Featuring over 30 classic ’50s and ’60s hits, The Marvelous Wonderettes will keep you smiling in this must-take musical trip down memory lane!
This production of The Marvelous Wonderettes will be directed by Jillian Petrie. Jillian Petrie is an award-winning choreographer/director. With over 100 productions under her belt, and she is just getting started. She is currently company choreographer for The Growing Stage, a professional regional theatre company located in New Jersey. Here she also served as director on the company's first film production and has previously served as director of multiple main-stage productions. As of June 2018, she has been Director of TGS's new Theatre Dance program. Productions are full-length plays that aim to challenge existing boundaries by incorporating movement-based storytelling and exploring audience engagement. In addition, Jillian is a professor of dance and theatre at Centenary University and founder of the media company, Athletes & Artists. Jillian was recently a member of the 2018-2019 Stage Directors Choreographers Foundation's Broadway Observership Class, Directors Lab Class of 2019, Broadway Dance Center's Choreography Program of 2021, and SDCF's Broadway Observership 2013-2014 Class.
The cast of The Marvelous Wonderettes features Centenary University student Amanda Ackerman as Cindy Lou, alumni, Christina Polichetti as Missy and Serena Buchan as Betty Jean, and making her Centenary Stage Company debut, Lauren Fabio as Suzie.
Performances of The Marvelous Wonderettes will be Thursdays, July 28 and August 4 at 7:30pm; Fridays, July 29 and August 5 at 8:00pm; Saturdays, July 30 and August 6 at 8:00pm; and Sundays, July 31 and August 7 at 2:00pm. Performances will take place in the Sitnik Theatre of the Lackland Performing Arts Center on the Centenary University campus at 715 Grand Avenue, Hackettstown, NJ 07840. Tickets are $25.50 to $29.50 for adults with discounts available for select performances for seniors, students, and children 12 and younger. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased on-line at centenarystageco.org or by phone by calling the Centenary Stage Company box office at (908) 979-0900.
The Centenary Stage Company box office is open Monday through Friday from 1:00pm – 5:00pm and two hours prior to all performances. The box office is located in the Lackland Performing Arts Center on the campus of Centenary University at 715 Grand Ave. Hackettstown, NJ.
Centenary Stage Company remains committed to the health and safety of our community and adheres to all requirements set forth by the State of New Jersey. For more information regarding CSC COVID-19 policies and policy updates, visit centenarystageco.org/faq.
The 2021-22 season of performing arts events at the Centenary Stage Company is made possible through the generous support of the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, the NJ State Council on the Arts, the Shubert Foundation, the Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation, the Sandra Kupperman Foundation, the John and Margaret Post Foundation, and CSC corporate sponsors, including Platinum Season Sponsor The House of the Good Shepherd, Silver Sponsors Hackettstown Medical Center Atlantic Health System, Home Instead Senior Care (Washington), and Fulton Bank, Visions Federal Credit Union, and Centenary Stage Company members and supporters.
