“Forever Plaid”

[rating=3] For those of us who recall those thrilling days in music where quartets “ruled” and harmony was truly an art; the vocals that were done by the Four Freshman, The Four Lads, The Four Aces and many other quartets, “Forever Plaid” is a tribute to these groups and to those who found the sound a positive. We all know the success story that is The Four Seasons, so why be surprised that Stuart Ross took this concept to pen and paper and created a story that talks to the trend of this period in time ( and history). Our story ( which is still very “hokey”) talks about four high school buddies who felt ready to hit the world with their group “Plaid” but on their way to the party, their car was sideswiped by a bus and they were sent to their destiny.

These four men ( just past being teens) are in Heaven and want to relate the story of why and how they got theirs. We meet the four talented young men; Sparky ( Matt Edmonds), Leader Francis ( Adam LaSalle), Smudge ( Christopher Ratliff, who will amaze you with his vocal range ) and Jinx ( the incredibly talented Yando Lopez, with a voice that will send chills down your spine). These are our heroes! These are the four young men taken down just as their lives were ready to become what they had dreamed for! Now they are caught between Heaven and the alternative wanting to get to the next level- to don those Plaid tuxedos they have ordered and be able to perform for a large audience of actual theater-goers ( oh, that is us, isn’t it?).

While I have never been in love with this show, thinking it more of a review tied together with a simple story, I can see that with the right talent doing it, it is fun and very entertaining. These four talented men under the great direction of Brenda Didier who up until recent days has been a choreographer, but has since added direction as well, bring a certain something to this antiquated show, making it an enjoyable 1 hour-forty-five-minutes ( including an intermission). Great job Brenda. You proved that when one understands a show and finds the right actors/performers, even hokey can be enjoyable.

The song list” “Three Coins In The Fountain”, “Moments To Remember”, “No Not Much”, “Sixteen Tons” ( Ratliff’s range will blow your mind), “Catch A Falling Star” (Edmonds in a tribute to Perry Como, which will probably have young audience members scratching their heads) and “Love Is A Many Splendored Thing” plus a great deal more are songs that will bring back many a great memory to anyone over 50, and the Ed Sullivan sequence ( under 4 minute full show, is a treat)! Of course, younger people have no idea who this is, so remember to Google him before you see the show. This is agreat bit and worth the price of the ticket , so know what it is and you will truly enjoy it!

These solid performers are assisted by three musicians. Conductor William Underwood at the keyboard, Jake Saleh on bass and the incredible Nick Anderson on drums. They are truly great! The tech portion of the show is solid but nothing that special. Jessica Howe’s set is sufficient for the story being told. Brenda Winstead’s costumes are pretty easy as this is pretty well set by the script and the lighting (G. “Max” Maxin IV) and sound (Michael J. Patrick) are pretty easy to undertake. Frank Roberts does a superb job with gathering the props that they use for some of the numbers ( in particular the Ed Sullivan sequence) and I loved the plunger microphones early in the play. While this is not one of my favorite pieces, I took the ride out to Munster because they do solid work and found that they took an old and somewhat stale piece and put some new life into it with a solid cast of highly energetic and talented guys directed by a highly energetic talented director. Worth the drive!

“Forever Plaid” will continue at Theatre At The Center , located at 1040 Ridge Road ( just over the State Line) in Munster Indiana thru June 3rd with performances as follows:

Wednesdays  2 p.m.

Thursdays  2 p.m.( and 7:30 p.m. on select nights)

Fridays  7:30 p.m.

Saturdays  3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

Sundays  2:30 p.m. ( and 7:30 p.m. on select nights)

Tickets range from $42- $46 ( a great value) and are available at the box office, by calling 219-836-3255 or 1-800-511-1532 or online at http://www.TheatreAtTheCenter.com

Special discounts for students

If you love quartets and harmonizing, or just want a trip down memory lane ( into the 1950’s) this is one to please.

Free parking

To see what others are saying, visit http://www.theatreinchicago.com, go to Review Round-Up and click at “Forever Plaid”!