By Jacelle Ramon-Sauberan
VERMILLION, SD- The Taffetas’ rendition of “Mister Sandman” will put you on Cloud 9.
But if “Mister Sandman” and other songs in The Taffetas’ “Musical Journey Through the Fabulous Fifties” put you to sleep, you could be cruisin’ for a bruisin’.
“The Taffetas” are a fictitious musical quartet modeled after the McGuire Sisters, the Fontane Sisters and the Chordettes, famous pop singers of the 1950’s.
“The musical will focus on a nostalgic theme that takes us down memory lane,” said Eric Hagen, chair of the University of South Dakota Department of Theatre. The play opens June 13 at USD.
“ ‘The Taffetas’ is a celebration of an all-girl group in the 1950’s,” Hagen said. “It is a fun, fresh musical review that features music (that) people are familiar with.”
Jessie Atkinson, Anna Auchampach, Elizabeth Wright and Darla Earnest play The Taffetas. Atkinson, Auchampach and Wright are Theatre students at USD. Earnest is a professional singer/actress and an adjunct professor of theatre.
The USD Playhouse puts on a play or musical each summer in Vermillion, Sioux Falls, S.D. and Sioux City, Iowa. Auchampach said she loves that the play takes place on her summer break. She said there is no stress of worrying about classes and she can focus only on the musical.
“I think it is a good experience,” said Auchampach.
Earnest said she cannot wait for the play to start. She said the cast is anxious for opening night.
“I hope the performance will bring a good nostalgic feeling to the audience and people will leave light hearted,” said Earnest. “We keep imagining people watching us (during practice), so it will be nice opening night to have actual people in the audience.”
The Vermillion performance of “The Taffetas” will take place at the Wayne S. Knutson Theatre in the Warren M. Lee Center. June 13 and 14 at 7:30 p.m. and June 15 at 2 p.m. Parking is free. Tickets are $14 for adults, $9 for students and group rates are available for 10 or more. You can buy your tickets at the box office or by calling 605-677-5400.
“The Taffetas” will also appear in Sioux Falls at the Orpheum Theatre, June 20-22 and Sioux City at the Lamb Theatre, June 27-29.