Forever Plaid is a loving, nostalgia-laden homage to four-part-harmony “boy bands” from the 50′s and early 60′s. In the prologue, we are quickly told that The Plaids, four friends who met in the audio-visual club at school and loved to sing, were killed instantly while driving to a gig that might have been their big break. Their car was hit by a bus filled with Catholic schoolgirls on their way to the Ed Sullivan show, where the Beatles were about to make their United States début. It’s a not-too-subtle metaphor from playwright Stuart Ross about rock changing the landscape of music and ending the popularity of harmony groups. It also sets up the entire, uncomplicated plot of Forever Plaid: the group must perform the concert they missed in order to rest in peace.

In Riverside Center’s production, The Plaids are played by Austin Colby (who will be replaced in later performances by Matthew Hirsh) (Frankie), Brandon Duncan (Smudge), David Landstrom (Sparky), and Chris Rudy (Jinx). This quartet, as well as director Bobby Smith, have worked together, playing these parts, before. They all seem to have a history with this show, and Smith was a member of the original off-Broadway cast.

This familiarity is both a blessing and a curse. On the upside, this quartet look and sound amazing. Their harmonies are tight, lush, romantic, and swoon-worthy. Songs like “No Not Much,” “Cry,” and “Love is a Many Splendored Thing” are, in a word, gorgeous. They blend beautifully and work wonderfully as an ensemble, and while each member of the cast has his solos and moments to shine, they never seem to upstage each other and are never better than when they harmonize in four parts. Smith has recreated the original staging, and his actors execute it flawlessly. A particular highlight was a tribute to the Ed Sullivan show featuring a multitude of familiar characters, impressive circus tricks, comic pratfalls, and an enjoyable rendition of “Lady of Spain,” all presented in about three minutes of tightly choreographed energy.

The transporting vocals, which are accompanied by the hardworking and charming music director Joel DeCandio on piano and an uncredited bass player, are 85% of the play, if not more, and they are certainly enough on their own to make for an entertaining evening. Those who remember the songs and recognize the references might inch that percentage up to 90% on the nostalgia factor alone. Taken just as a concert by The Plaids, the show is stellar.

However, Forever Plaid is also a play. Granted, the plot is thin, and the characters not terribly well-developed, but there is a story to be told. And this is where Forever Plaid stumbles a bit, perhaps because the actors and the director are so familiar with the show that they seem to have grown a bit complacent. It is actually difficult to differentiate between the four Plaids. While they are each a bit nerdy, Ross has imbued them with some individuality, and even where the script falls short, the actors and director could have fleshed out the characters more. And while there are some comic bits with each of the quartet’s anxiety-induced maladies, these could have been highlighted more and woven more intricately into the whole show. This type of specificity would have deepened the show into more than just a musical trip down memory lane.

In addition, the show lacks any urgency. For a group that has been in limbo for fifty years and has one chance to “make things right,” the Plaids exhibit very little drive. There is no feeling that this concert is any more important than other concerts they have performed, and this lack of push leads a rather short play to drag a bit, especially when the actors approach the more “dramatic” moments. The script seems to support a change in The Plaids from awkward teenagers to music stars, but there is little in this production to support that arc, as The Plaids seem generally competent from beginning to end. A little more attention to the story and the unique objectives and stumbling blocks of each of the characters would have made The Plaids both more endearing and more compelling.

But in the end, the show is about singing, and here The Plaids soar. Ably supported by the production team (scenic coordination by Matthew P. Westcott, lighting design by Joseph Wallen, costume coordination by Gaye Law, and technical direction by Phil Carlucci), The Plaids evoke a more innocent, earnest time. In their matching dinner jackets, underneath a huge projected moon and bathed in sumptuous evening light, it’s easy to forgive any flaws and just let the ears enjoy the aural buffet.

Director’s Notes

When most of us look back to the 1950s, we think of rock ‘n’ roll, greasers, hot rods, Elvis, Annette, Fabian, D.A. Haircuts, and teenage rebellion. But there was a flipside to this era that was lost in surge of progress, one characterized by family harmony, innocence, and the sincerity of dreams. It was a time when most parents and kids listened and danced to the same music, when families ritually gathered in front of the TV to watch their favorite variety show (like the Ed Sullivan Show or the Perry Como Show), and when everyone worked to fulfill the American Dream.

It was a period when four-part guy groups harmonized their way across America, popularized on the airwaves and spinning records on jukeboxes and hi-fis throughout the land. Standing behind a quartet of microphones, they crooned a multitude of chaperoned prom-goers into dreamy romance with vocal arrangements that soared to stratospheric heights of harmony. They wore dinner jackets and bow ties (or perhaps cardigans and white bucks). And their every move was drilled to precision, carefully synchronized with the words and the beat of the music. This was “the sound” that crested right before rock ‘n’ roll stole the heartbeat of music across the globe.

During this time, guys across the country banded together in basements or garages to sing and play for fun. If things worked out, their group might actually be hired to sing at weddings, conventions, proms, and country club socials. Inspired by the success of recording stars, they made plans to zoom into careers of fame and fortune. But sadly, the musical taste of young America was rapidly changing, and the country would not (or could not) stop to listen to their dreams. This is the story of one such group: Forever Plaid.

Bobby Smith

Cast

• Frankie: Austin Colby/Matthew Hirsh
• Smudge: Brandon Duncan
• Sparky: David Landstrom
• Jinx: Chris Rudy
• Piano: Joel DeCandio/Anthony Smith
• Bass: Joanna Smith

Crew

• Producer: Patrick A’Hearn
• Original Staging Re-created by: Bobby Smith
• Musical Direction: Joe DeCandio
• Lighting Design: Joseph Wallen
• Costume Coordination: Gaye Law
• Scenic Coordination: Matthew Westcott
• Production Manager: Carole Shrader
• Technical Director: Phil Carlucci
• Stage Manager: Ben Feindt
• Producing Artistic Director: Patrick A’Hearn

Disclaimer: Riverside Dinner Theater provided two complimentary media tickets to ShowBizRadio for this review.

Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s groundbreaking musical comedy, Company, is a meditation on marriage, commitment, isolation, and compromise. Even now, over forty years after the musical debuted on Broadway, the show is still searing and relevant, and the legendary music and lyrics still impress. Truly, it would be difficult to present a production of Company that was not entertaining, given the quick-edit scenes and wide range of emotions, characters, and musical styles, and The Vagabond Players do not disappoint. Their Company features a cohesive ensemble of excellent singers who clearly relish the opportunity to sing these magnificent songs.

The audience learns about the characters through the eyes of Robert, who is celebrating his 35th birthday by excavating the relationships of his married friends and examining his past and current love interests in hopes of finding real meaning. Along with the rest of the cast, Tom Burns, as Robert, began the show on shaky ground, with sometimes tentative and sometimes forced vocals and awkward pacing in the first couple of scenes. Some of the performances felt stilted and tense, and the lighting, costumes, and set combined to give a very heavy, dark feel to the beginning of the show. However, the production recovered admirably, and by the end of the first act, not only had the ensemble created a believable chemistry of friends and lovers, but Burns had constructed an appealingly ambivalent Robert in whom the audience could invest.

The second act, by contrast, was a knock-out from start to finish. It began with a charming, joyful “Side by Side” featuring grin-inducing choreography by Ernie Ritchey (whose adorable staging of “You Could Drive a Person Crazy” was a first act highlight) and spot on vocals under Douglas Lawler’s musical direction. The show then moved to a brilliant marriage of staging, singing, and acting during “Poor Baby” and “Barcelona.” These songs, set during a date between Robert and flight attendant April (Amy Greco), showed the contrast between Robert’s private life as imagined by his friends and as it really existed. Burns and Greco had a sexy allure with one another while also managing to be very funny. Director Eric J. Potter staged this scene wonderfully well, seamlessly integrating the many different elements and creating humor and heartbreak in the same moments.

The act continued with Shannon Wollman’s blistering rendition of “Ladies Who Lunch.” Her voice was perfectly suited to the song, and she masterfully built it to its apex. In addition, Wollman, Joey Hellman (playing her husband), and Burns created fully formed relationships and palpable tension in the brief scene that surrounds the song. Finally, Burns had his finest moments in “Being Alive,” as Robert’s dawning understanding and insight take center stage. Without overacting, Burns took the audience on Robert’s powerful journey, while leaving traces of his ambivalence to prevent a pat conclusion.

Company is famous for being one of the very first “concept” plays with a non-linear plot. In keeping with the scattershot structure of the show, a few closing scattershot thoughts: Jennifer Viets’ solo in “Getting Married Today” was gorgeous, as was Jim Baxter’s hurt and disappointment in the same song. The neon sign and large New York skyline in Moe Conn’s set design was visually arresting. Shawn Doyle’s “Sorry-Grateful,” although started in a jarring manner, was touching and tender. Great songs, an interesting book, a charming and supportive ensemble, rich and beautiful voices, and very talented musicians made for lovely Company for the evening.

Photo Gallery

‘Bobby and girlfriends’: Lauren Everd, Tom Burns, Sarah Ford Gorman	‘The guys’:Jim Baxter, Tom Burns, David Minges, Troy Hopper
Bobby, a very popular bachelor, with the wives of his friends

Photos by Ken Stanek

Cast

• Robert: Tom Burns
• Sarah: Rikki Howie
• Harry: Shawn Doyle
• Susan: Dianna Waller
• Peter: David Minges
• Jenny: Jennifer Viets
• David: Troy Hopper
• Amy: Molly Doyle
• Paul: Jim Baxter
• Joanne: Shannon Wollman
• Larry: Roger Schulman (Joey Hellman on Oct. 18)
• Marta: Sarah Ford Gorman
• Kathy: Lauren Everd
• April: Amy Greco
• Conductor/Keyboard: Douglas Lawler; Michael DeVito
• Percussion: Lisa Wood, Bill Watson

Production Team

• Director: Eric. J. Potter
• Musical Director: Douglas Lawler
• Choreographer: Ernie Ritchey
• Stage Manager: Margie Lake
• Backstage Crew: Peggy Witowski
• Lighting Design: Ed Lake
• Set Design: G. Maurice “Moe” Conn
• Set Construction: Moe Conn, Jay Demarco
• Costume Design: Wil E. Crowther
• Follow Spot Operator: Dennis Witowski
• Photography: Tom Lauer
• Production Photos: Ferd Mainolfi
• Poster: Sherrionne Brown
• Program: Barb Gehring
• Box Office: Apryl Bancroft, Pat David
• For the Vags: Carol Evans, Ann Mainolfi

Disclaimer: Vagabond Players provided two complimentary media tickets to ShowBizRadio for this review.

Donald Margulies has a gift for writing realistic dialogue. His Dinner with Friends feels like one is eavesdropping on two actual couples – Tom and Beth, whose relationship is falling apart, and Gabe and Karen, who take this surprising news hard and personally. Providence Players of Fairfax has produced an enjoyable version of Dinner with Friends, although it doesn’t quite match the naturalism of Margulies’ script. Nonetheless, the design team and actors have brought enough care and energy to the task at hand to ensure that audiences will enjoy the meal.

The strengths of director Tina Thronson’s production are many. Raedun de Alba’s set design is deceptively complicated. Although each setting is simple on its own, there at least six different locations, and de Alba has managed to make each one detailed and realistic. The kitchens and bedrooms especially are perfectly decorated by Susan Kaplan & Sue Winfield, who also provided the many food-related props. Thronson makes excellent use of the environment, moving her actors around the stage in a wholly authentic way. Jimmy Gertzog’s lighting design further transports the audience with careful, individualized choices for each setting.

Thronson has assembled a quartet of appealing actors who bring animation and intensity to their roles and are especially adept at portraying the chemistry and history of each of their relationships. Each of the actors have definite moments where they shine: David P. Whitehead and Melissa Dunlap as Gabe and Karen have a sweetly teasing rapport with one another, finishing each other’s sentences and communicating by touch and glances. Their fixation on analyzing every meal is a true highlight of the evening. Michael Donahue as Tom is excellent in his first scene with his estranged wife, Beth, as he navigates the familiar terrain of Beth’s emotions with care and strategy. Jayne L. Victor, who plays Beth, is perhaps the strongest of the four in constructing a believable, heartbreaking, and yet still funny, character.

Because these four actors must carry the whole show, they and Thronson have the hefty challenge of maintaining pace, creating character arcs, and avoiding the feeling of repetition. Here is where the show runs into a bit of difficulty. While the first act gallops along, the second act gets a bit bogged down, especially in two static scenes on a patio and in a bar, which could have used more imagination in the staging and atmosphere. Additionally, the actors tend to push a bit too hard throughout the evening, going overboard on the comedy and exaggerating their reactions. For example, Whitehead and Dunlap had repeated and large reactions to the supposed perfect state of their union, intimating secrets or a disaster in the making, that proved unfounded and unsupported by the play’s end. Thronson would have better served the play by guiding the actors to subtlety and nuance, which would have enabled them to present more fully formed and less caricatured roles. Conversely, Thronson and costume designer Robbie Snow (whose work in the rest of the play is admirable) also missed an opportunity where broader humor would have actually have been welcome by choosing not to provide radically different looks for the flashback scene.

Margulies’ play requires quiet, real-life exchanges, with the humor coming from the familiar and from the details of the characters. Thronson’s production relies too much on broad, presentational acting and, therefore, lacks the feeling that the audience has quietly removed the fourth wall and is spying on the life within. Rather than an intimate Dinner With Friends, this production, while entertaining and possessing many successful aspects, feels more like a convention banquet, although with better food.

Disclaimer: Providence Players provided two complimentary media tickets to ShowBizRadio for this review.