The Taffeta sisters played by Kathleen Walter, Carol Fredlund, Dawn Graff-Haight and Dobie Long sing a song while pretending to ride in a convertible driving down the highway.
Marcus Larson/News-Register

A Taffeta (Carol Fredlund) performs a solo number perched high on staircase above her supporting band.
Marcus Larson/News-Register

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Music of the 1950s will be featured in “Taffeta Memories,” a play that opens Friday at Gallery Theater in downtown McMinnville.

The musical will play at 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 3 p.m. Sundays, through Aug. 22. Tickets are $15 general and $13 for students and seniors. For reservations and more information, call 503-472-2227.

Written by Rick Lewis, “Taffeta Memories” is the story of a 1950s sister act that gets together for a 50th reunion. The group will remind viewers of the Lennon Sisters and other girl groups of the era, said Faye Pitman Trupka, who is directing the show.

“It pays tribute to all the sister groups and the greatest hits of the 1950s,” the director said. “Half a century later, they’re still crooning.”

Trupka said she fell in love with “Taffeta Memories” and its companion show, a prequel called “The Taffetas,” when she first saw them at a Portland theater. “The music is just delightful,” she said. “Some nights when I’m directing, I have an ear-to-ear smile, some nights I’m in tears — good tears.”

She met the playwright, as well. The Portland resident gave her some tips about the backgrounds of the women in the Taffetas, such as devotion to their signature pastel outfits.

The author also gave Gallery permission to videotape the show and to take an excerpt from it to the Oregon State Fair, as well. Gallery’s cast will perform in the Artisan Village during the fair, which runs from late August through Labor Day.

The Taffetas — sisters Kaye, Peggy, Cheryl and Donna — are played at Gallery by Dawn Graff-Haight, Dobie Long, Carol Fredlund and Kathleen Walter, who also is the vocal director. The actresses harmonize beautifully, Trupka said.

The show includes a long list of familiar songs, such as “I’m Sorry,” “Where the Boys Are,” “How Much is that Doggie in the Window?” “Little Johnny Brown,” “Mocking Bird Hill,” “Istanbul/Constantinople,” “Sincerely” and “Johnny Angel.”

“It’s beautiful music that tugs at the heartstrings,” the director said. “If people don’t love it, they must be totally tone deaf.”

In addition to the music, “Taffeta Memories” includes a section where the sisters go through their scrapbook and answer fan mail. “The sweetness and innocence of these four ladies, who are now grandmothers, just shines through,” the director said. “I’m really blessed — it’s really cool working on this show.”

Kathleen Van De Veere choreographed the show. “She’s one a really fine job tailoring it to the era and the age of actresses,” Trupka said.

The costumes also are just right for the 1950s reunion show, she said. Lin Tindall is the costumer.

A live band backs the Taffetas. Anne Britt and Kathy Ganske are the pianists, with Michael Larsen on drums and Lynn Mogster on bass.