BETTY JEAN – Female. Betty Jean is the self-anointed clown of the group, always vying for attention from her best friend Cindy Lou.  She loves that she is in finally in charge of the group, if only for this one performance.  She has worked at Harper’s Hardware since high school and is now in Corporate Sales, a fact she’s very proud of.  After a few tumultuous years, she married her high-school boyfriend Johnny, who also used to work at Harper’s Hardware.  We learn that they have recently separated for good.  She has a strength that belies her goofiness.  This strength is what gives her empathy; she has no ‘poor me’ in her attitude.  This pays off in her Act One closing song.  Her hair is red/auburn.  (Alto with strong low range.)

CINDY LOU – Female. Cindy Lou is the ‘bad girl’ of the group, now reformed–to a point.  She is sexy with a dry and sassy wit, and has a miles-high jetblack beehive, a cross between the Ronettes and early Priscilla Presley.  She has a tattoo on her right upper arm that reads “Billy,” her boyfriend who passed away a few years back (from The Marvelous Wonderettes).  Until that time it seemed that things always went her way, making Betty Jean crazy.  She has an incredible soft side and inner depth, revealed in her Act Two monologue and ballad.  (Mezzo Soprano with belt–sings lead on many songs.)

MISSY – Female. Always the over-achiever of the group, Missy has now blossomed into a full-fledged adult over-achiever.  She is an elementary school teacher, wears horn-rimmed glasses, and her mousy-brown hair is curlier than she quite knows how to manage.  She has recently returned from her honeymoon with her new husband Bill, an audience member.  She controls the evening’s events, even when Betty Jean is in charge: Missy is the one to cover for mistakes and is always ready to jump in and save the day.  She has an innersexiness–even slightly kinky–that comes out every once-in-a-while, much to her surprise and embarrassment.  She has been best friends with Suzy since elementary school.  (Soprano with wide range and very high vocals.)

SUZY – Female. Suzy is happy-go-lucky, a little giddy, a little silly, and just a little pregnant.  She’s always willing to go along with anyone and anything, and she seems to giggle at just about anything.  She finds great pleasure in everything she does; the sillier it is, the more fun she finds it.  Her pregnancy has brought out her attention-deficit disorder and she reverts to her childhood on the drop of a dime.  She is married to Ritchie, her high-school sweetheart, who is running the lights for the performance. H er honey-blond hair is reminiscent of early Marlo Thomas/That Girl.  Her best friend is Missy. (Mezzo Alto with a sweet, soulful sound and big belts.)

Setting