Staging a formula jukebox musical is not for sissies. When they are done well, they appear effortless, but the hard truth is that they do not drive themselves. So "Winter Wonderettes" is not an easy downhill sleigh ride for Manoa Valley Theatre.

In the same way that "Plaid Tidings" parlayed the success of "Forever Plaid" by creating a follow-up production with a Christmas theme, "Winter Wonderettes" follows "The Marvelous Wonderettes," which is still playing off Broadway. (Both of the "Plaids" played successfully for MVT in past seasons, but the original "Wonderettes" has not yet been done in Honolulu.)

Created by Roger Bean, both "Wonderettes" capitalize on the girl groups and songs of the 1950s and '60s, with the "Winter" version bringing a quartet of former cheerleaders back together to stage a Christmas party at the hardware store where they work.

The girls (Aubrey Lee Glover, Alex Lanning, Pomai Lopez and Becky Maltby) give it their best schoolgirl try, but their act isn't one that is going to last beyond its opening night. And in that lies the staging difficulty.

These hardware store workers aren't expected to be polished entertainers, but the MVT cast has got to be polished at looking like amateurs. Their do-it-yourself crinoline skirts and cantilevered beehive hairdos are on the right track. However, the first act, in which the girls wait for the arrival of the boss and his bonus checks, is alternately hesitant and tired.

Ultimately the show, directed by Brett Harwood, never develops enough heart or style to overcome its formula origins.

Things do pick up in the second half with featured solos and audience participation.

You won't want to miss Pomai Lopez as she tap dances through "Suzy Snowflake." Becky Maltby does a nice bit with a sexy nightie on "This Christmas." Alex Lanning has the lament "All Those Christmas Clichés," and Aubrey Lee Glover gets to vamp out "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?"

Points go to designers Benjamin MacKrell and Janine Myers for hanging a goofy moose head on the wall over Kenji Higashihama's band and creating a soft snowfall against a blue winter light.