Playhouse Stage Company Offers Free Encore Performances of “The Marvelous Wonderettes.”

PLAYHOUSE STAGE COMPANY TO OFFER FREE ENCORE PERFORMANCES OF THE MARVELOUS WONDERETTES IN PARTNERSHIP WITH TOWN OF GUILDERLAND

Following month-long run at Park Playhouse in Albany, the troupe will bring the 50’s & 60’s girl-group musical to GPAC in Tawasentha Park for performances July 19-21.

Guilderland, N.Y. (May 8, 2024) – A new partnership with The Town of Guilderland will bring Playhouse Stage Company to the Guilderland Performing Arts Center Stage in Tawasentha Park this summer. Following its run at Albany’s Park Playhouse from June 18 through July 14, Playhouse Stage’s The Marvelous Wonderettes will play an encore weekend in Guilderland from July 19-21.  All seating will be available for free on a first-come, first-served basis, at 7:30pm performances Friday through Sunday, and an additional 4:00pm matinee on Saturday. Playhouse Stage Company has been producing free, outdoor summer musicals at Albany’s Park Playhouse since 1989, and has been presenting musicals year-round at the historic Cohoes Music Hall since 2016. 

“We are tremendously excited about this new partnership, and new opportunity to achieve our mission making the arts accessible to all in the Capital Region community,” noted Playhouse Stage Producing Artistic Director, Owen Smith. “Through the support of the Town of Guilderland,” Smith continued, “all seating for this encore weekend in Tawasentha Park will be available free-of-charge to both residents and visitors. We are grateful to Town Supervisor, Peter Barber, the Guilderland Town Board, and the staff who have worked to make this inaugural year of this partnership a reality.” The Guilderland Town Board officially approved the partnership with the Playhouse at a meeting on May 7, 2024.

“We are thrilled to welcome Playhouse Stage Company to perform at GPAC this summer and we look forward to a long-term relationship with the area’s premier musical theatre organization,” added Town Supervisor Peter G. Barber.  “I also extend my appreciation to former State Senator George Amedore for his generous support for GPAC’s renovation which has helped bring new entertainment options to our community.”

The Marvelous Wonderettes tells the story of a group of friends who become the impromptu entertainment at their High School prom in 1958, singing the girl-group pop songs of the decade in four-part harmony. Act Two sees the friends reunite to perform at their ten-year reunion, singing the music of the girl groups of the Sixties.  With beloved songs such as “Mr. Sandman,” “Lollipop,” “Heatwave,” “Son of a Preacher Man,” and “Respect,” audiences are treated to a night of harmonious hits, wrapped around a touching and funny story of enduring friendship. The production is directed and choreographed by Ellie Francis, who appeared on-stage as Pythio in 2022’s PSC production of Head Over Heels. Long-time PSC associate Brian Axford, will music direct and lead the live, on-stage band for the production.

Tickets for reserved seating for the run of The Marvelous Wonderettes at Albany’s Park Playhouse are now on sale through The Playhouse Stage Box Office at Cohoes Music Hall, by phone at 518-434-0776, or online at www.playhousestage.org. The 2024 Playhouse Stage Company Summer Season will continue in July and August with runs of the musicals Legally Blonde and Disney’s Finding Nemo playing at Cohoes Music Hall.