FOREVER PLAID

Denton Community Theatre

Directed by Robert Emery

Reviewed by Clyde Berry

Associate Theatre Critic for

John Garcia's THE COLUMN

FOREVER PLAID

Forever Plaid is Denton Community Theatre's latest offering in their 40th Anniversary Season. Written almost 20 years ago by Stuart Ross, the piece is of the Jukebox Musical family, and have many of the typical traits of such pieces. Usually the story is contrived and character development limited, leaving the audience with lots of loosely strung B sides connected with just enough hits to keep from getting wise to the money making machine at work.

Though now considered formulaic and stale, several of these have achieved success such as Mamma Mia, The Buddy Holly Story, The Boy from Oz, Jersey Boys, Always…Patsy Cline, and Smokey Joe's Café. Others have not fared as well, and musicals based off the works of The Beach Boys, Elvis, Rod Stewart, Queen, Janis Joplin, Take That!, and Bob Dylan have either been critically slaughtered or short lived (or both).

Plaid, however, has a strong enough book that the characters are as engaging as the familiar tunes they croon. For those who remember this music from their past, a nostalgic evening is in store; for those who will be introduced to this music, the narrative is strong enough to carry the unfamiliar music style.

While the Greasers are the easy image to conjure of the 1950s, their opposites, the square Soc's have just as strongly developed look and sound. Instead of the wild and loud rock sound, these forefathers of modern boy bands had smooth, measured tones that relied on their tight vocal harmonies.

With simple, respectable outfits, and lots of crisp choreography around the mike stand, these gents were the "traditional" sound of the younger generation. As music trends became more frenetic and full of social commentary these groups became less cool and faded away. The Plaids are such a group, and Forever Plaid consists of a period concert brought about by supernatural circumstances.

Robert Emery both directed and choreographed DCT's production. Emery has done a thorough and enjoyable job. The Plaids move all over the stage and never land in a park and bark trap, no small feat in a musical revue like this. The (long one act) show moves very quickly and is over before one is ready for it to be. Emery's choreography is fun, appropriate, and even full of individual character accents.

With a creative use of props, the Plaids always have something interesting to do. If any nitpicking is to be done here, it would be that the prop mikes used would never actually be able to pick up any sound with some of the hand jive going on, which keeps them far from mouths. They are often shuffled about as a prop instead of being treated as a (non-period) microphone.

Sound is an extremely important aspect of this production, and on this opening night performance, there were items that needed attention. The cast is wearing microphones, and they are relying on them for projection for both sung and spoken lines. When the microphones are fussy, volume issues result. At times of uncertain harmonies, the sound only amplifies the part that we don't want to hear.

Music Director Rick Buntain has clearly worked with the cast to create a nice period sound, which, when present is very good. When the guys are off, it isn't by a little, which then gets picked up by the unforgiving sound system. I wonder what the guys would sound like without them. I'm confident the quartet can fill the space along with the great sounding three man pit.

Costume Designer Kelly King has done a wonderful job with not only the costumes, but also the hairstyles of the Plaids. While the guys only have two outfits, each one looks great on them. However, the costume change into the second set of clothes takes entirely too long, especially for a payoff that the audience sees coming. It would have been nice to have had the musicians in matching attire, which would make them a more cohesive part of the production, especially since the Plaids interact with them from time to time.

The set design by Carol Alexander is a great flashback to the 50's TV shows that would have showcased such groups as the Plaids. The style is spot on, and also fits into the design of the theater itself as far as color and size.

Michael H. Fenton's lighting design is functional, and does well to enhance the mood, while not interfering with the projected scenic elements. The projections, while not always successfully utilized or timed, did add a nice bit of visual variety with some assorted plaid backgrounds.

Overall the production is strong dramatically, but there are chunks of flat line deliveries. Character arcs have been specified in the director notes that are not consistently delivered on stage. The gents interact well with each other, and never upstage a fellow performer's moment. This is a demanding piece, between the musical style/harmonies, and lack of a break for any of the guys. The Plaids pull it off, but can really take it to another level with amazing results.

Alexander Ross, without a doubt, has nailed it in this production. Having seen Ross in several productions now, Plaid features his best solos, and a well-crafted physical character. His Smudge is always working, engaging, and perfectly measured. With an amusing character voice, Ross makes the most of every moment and audience reaction with great results. Smudge, the nerdy one, will work his way into your heart as you root for him.

Drew Kelly plays the nervous Jinx. The cow licked crooner has a great upper range that he navigates with ease. Kelly clearly loves singing and is careful to keep his voice from slipping into pop mode. Though there are a few similarities to his recent Altar Boyz character, his expressions are great, and he is a delight to watch.

Frankie, the buzzed leader of the group, is in real life Jeff Petersen. Petersen does well as the anchor of the Plaids, navigating his narrations well, and rallying the troops when needed.

The feisty Sparky is played by the coiffed Jack Perl. Perl has great comic timing, and even supports one number playing from the pit. His character pushes the plot along and he keeps the other guys on their toes.

While the Plaids were never able to make it in their own time due to their tragic and terminal accident, they are appearing very briefly in Denton. These guys are preserving the velvet sounds of an era long gone, and are worth hearing. There's only one more weekend to catch these would-be stars, before they rejoin them again.

Reviewed by Clyde Berry, Associate Theatre Critic for John Garcia's THE COLUMN

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Forever Plaid Denton Community Theatre Through November 22 2009

214 W. Hickory St., Denton, TX 76201, 940-382-1915

Tickets $10-$18 / Campustheatre.com