It all works, thanks to stalwart and talented leads Brian Altman, Josh Rhett Noble, Shane Patrick O’Neill, and Matthew Ryan Thompson who exude charm, likeability, and smooth singing despite all the while keeping in constant action (they often set and clear the stage while singing). For ninety quick-paced minutes (no intermission), these four combine in often wondrous ways to make things work.
The story concerns a strange one-night afterlife granted to The Plaids, an aspiring pop quartet, after their tragic auto crash on their way to a gig at an airport Hilton. As the show opens they look around, see the audience (we’re included a lot!), and realize that they can now perform their “final” show–the one they were on the way to when they were “broadsided by a bus full of Catholic virgins.”
The premise creates a fabulous excuse to indulge in feel good songs popular in the late 1950s and early 1960s (pre-Beatles) such as “Three Coins in the Fountain,” “Rags to Riches,” “Love is a Many Splendored Thing,” “Sixteen Tons,” and “Chain Gang.” Music Director Bryan Bird, who also played the piano onstage, emphasized the era’s smooth harmonies and solo spots. Zany dance moves choreographed by director Martin Cespedes added extra spice (and often gentle satire) to the quartet’s numbers.
Tributes to records (remember them?), the Ed Sullivan Show (in a hilarious three minute plus capsule version), Perry Como, and other artifacts of the age may generate nostalgia for older audience members and envy for those too young to know what they missed. Must give special shout out to all of us for the “Matilda” sing along and to the plucky audience member who played a fab “Heart and Soul” (the piano tune almost everyone knows) when she was urged to come onstage.
Bottom Line: The Plaids created a warmly interactive musical evening where the only thing missing was a bagpipe to go with the plaid. It was a lovely show. Recommended for all ages.
Forever Plaid runs at the Beck Center for the Arts through October 12 (8 p.m. Fridays & Saturdays; 3 p.m. Sundays) on the Mackey Main Stage. There’s free parking at the 17801 Detroit Avenue location in Lakewood. For tickets or information contact beckcenter.org or call 216.521.2540. ”’
Photo by Kathy Sandham: Left to Right: Brian Altman, Shane Patrick O’Neill, Matthew Ryan Thompson, and Josh Rhett Noble.
Laura Kennelly is a freelance arts journalist, a member of the Music Critics Association of North America, and an associate editor of BACH, a scholarly journal devoted to J. S. Bach and his circle.
Lakewood, OH 44107