The ‘American Idol’ Runner-Up Joins Cast of Off-Broadway’s The Marvelous Wonderettes
By Jason Salerno
“I am excited and honored to sing the music of the iconic women I grew up idolizing,” says Diana Degarmo, the “American Idol” and Hairspray alum. She is the latest addition to the stellar cast of the hit Off-Broadway show, The Marvelous Wonderettes. Playing the role of Suzy Simpson, the lovable, bubble-blowing Wonderette, she sings such hits as “Stupid Cupid,” “Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me,” “Rescue Me” and “Respect.”
“I perform alongside three fabulous and funny gals,” she continues, referring to co-stars Christina Bianco, who plays Missy; “Sabrina The Teenage Witch’s” Jenna Leigh Green, who plays the role of Cindy Lou; and Sally Schwab, who plays Betty Jean. Laura Woyasz rounds out the cast as the “Wonderstudy.”
“We are having one heck of a time. Y’all won’t want to miss it!”
The Marvelous Wonderettes takes a cotton candy-colored musical trip down memory lane to the 1958 Springfield High School prom, where audiences meet “The Wonderettes,” four girls with hopes and dreams as big as their crinoline skirts. Told through more than 20 chart-topping hits of the era, the audience experiences the girls’ lives and loves from prom night to their 10-year reunion.
At 16, Diana Degarmo rose to fame on “American Idol,” finishing second to winner Fantasia Barrino. Shortly after, she released her first single, “Dreams,” which reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart.
At 18, she made her Broadway debut in the role of Penny Pingleton in Hairspray. Her next Broadway stint was in the revival of Hair, where she met now-husband, another “American Idol” alum, Ace Young.
The two have become a dynamic duo, writing and singing songs for TV shows and films and touring together in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. They will be making their first Web series appearance in the new YouTubeRed series SING IT!, coming out soon.
Degarmo’s run in The Marvelous Wonderettes continues through July 31.
The Marvelous Wonderettes plays Wednesdays at 2:30 p.m. and 8:15 p.m., Thursdays at 8:15 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at The Theatre Row box office or through Telecharge.com. For groups, contact (212) 889-4300 or (800) 331-0472. The Kirk at Theatre Row is located at 410 W 42nd Street off of 9th Ave.
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Hey Mr Jason Photography
