Review: 'The Queen Bees' at Connecticut Cabaret Theatre

Pictured above: (from left) Kristin Iovene as Connie, Maria Soaft as Brenda and Amy Bentley as Diane in THE QUEEN BEES Photo by Stu Clark

Berlin, CT - The Connecticut Cabaret Theatre is celebrating their 21st anniversary with a “groovy” production of a musical comedy celebrating the girl groups of the sixties entitled THE QUEEN BEES. This story of one trio from Queens, NY (hence the title) was penned by Rob Urbinati, a freelance director and playwright based in New York City who is also Director of New Play Development at Queens Theatre. The writer based the characters on his two older sisters, who both grew up in the sixties; the older was straight-laced with 1950s values, the younger was the rebel anticipating the social revolution to come. The third member of the group he based on a woman of the sixties determined to pursue a career.

Kris McMurray, the owner and artistic director of Connecticut Cabaret Theatre, directed and choreographed the production as he always does with an eye on the details. “The Queen Bees has a nostalgic look and feel of the times in the 60’s. It demonstrates what female vocal groups had to face to make it in the music industry, but it’s still filled with joy and fun,” he explains. “I hope audiences will enjoy the show as they hum or sing along, with many of the great tunes that defined an era and generation.” Mr. McMurray has a penchant for choosing works that his audiences will enjoy and the opening night audience loved his latest choice.

Many musicals about the 1960s are light, fluffy and nostalgic. I enjoy them immensely. But when I set out to write THE QUEEN BEES, I wanted to create something that dug a little deeper." Author Rob Urbinati

The finely-drawn characters of Connie, Diane, and Brenda are determined to rise above their rough and tumble Queens, NY neighborhood by topping the pop music charts with their girl group the Queen Bees, formerly known as the Bon Bons. They soon realize that their meteoric rise comes with a price, as relationships strain and their rebellious music falls quickly out of fashion. The show includes hit songs from the 60's like “Leader of the Pack,” “My Boyfriend’s Back,” and “The Boy From New York City,” all of which were very familiar to many members of the opening night audience. I was unfamiliar with about half of the numbers, but it did not really matter.

The royalty in the cast include Amy Bentley, Kristin Iovene, and Maria Soaft. The expanded printed program, which this reviewer greatly appreciated, included bios of the three talented ladies. I remembered Ms. Bentley from her appearance at Seven Angels Theatre in Waterbury in BEEHIVE THE 60’S MUSICAL. This WCSU graduate, who is a proud member of SAG-AFTRA, has such a phenomenal stage presence and a wonderful singing (and speaking) voice. She brought all of her talents to the role of the “serious” sister Diane West in her CCT debut. Kristin Iovene returned to this stage to play the “chatty” and driven Connie, a friend of two West sisters and gave a great performance. A lady at my table on opening night noted that the actress reminded her of a young Liza Minnelli.

I was amazed to read that Maria Soaft was making her theatrical debut in this show. She performs in the bands Forgotten by Friday and 1974, but here she proved that she is also a fine actress. Ms. Soaft took on the role of the sexy blonde Brenda West. She seemed so comfortable onstage and appeared to be having as much fun as her two more experienced cast mates. Kudos to this young lady on an outstanding debut.

All of the singers nailed their solos, and the harmonies executed by the three were sublime on every number; the times they sang without accompaniment made this even more apparent. The scene set in a recording studio in Manhattan was both entertaining and accurate. I loved their cover of “California Dreaming” and the rousing “Shout” for the closing number brought the audience to their feet. The choreography by Mr. McMurray was perfect for this girl group and the dancers performed it effortlessly.

In Act One, the members of the Queen Bees are teenagers attending Flushing High School, with the second act set three years later. The three cast members are not teens but played younger with great Queens NY accents. Costumes and wigs helped a bit, but did not always evoke the sixties. While I appreciated the frequent changes the three ladies executed between scenes, their street clothes evoked a more modern era, to me at least. However, the lines and pattern of the dresses the girls wore for their performance at the Brooklyn Fox in the final scene definitely read sixties.

Audio clips that covered the costume and set changes brought back memories from the sixties. Remember Cousin Brucie? The vocal arrangements and orchestrations are by Julianne B. Merrill. The band included Music Director Nathaniel Baker on keyboards, Jamie Sherwood on a rocking guitar, and Tim Urso on percussion. James J. Moran was in charge of all things technical as he always is and everything worked well including the starry set. The stage crew was the ever present Linda Kelly and actress Karen Gagliardi.

THE QUEEN BEES runs every Friday and Saturday at 8:00pm from July 6th thru August 4th, 2018. Doors open at 7:15pm. Tickets are now on sale. ALL MAJOR CREDIT CARDS are accepted. To purchase tickets, please call the box office at 860-829-1248. Reservations are recommended. Ticket price $34.00. For more information, visit our website: www.ctcabaret.com The Connecticut Cabaret Theatre is located at 31 Webster Square Road, visit the website for detailed directions. The Connecticut Cabaret Theatre is Central Connecticut premiere cabaret-style theatre, patrons are welcome to bring whatever they like to eat or drink with them.

Nancy Sasso Janis has been writing theatre reviews since 2012 as a way to support local theatre venues. She posts reviews of well over 100 productions each year. In 2016, she became a member of the Connecticut Critics Circle. She continues to contribute theatre news, previews, and audition notices to local Patch sites. Reviews of all levels of theatrical productions are posted on Naugatuck Patch and the Patch sites closest to the venue. Follow the reviewer on her Facebook pages Nancy Sasso Janis: Theatre Reviewer and on Twitter @nancysjanis417