By Matt Snider/special to the times-review
The streets of Cleburne were rolled up on New Year’s Eve a bit earlier than usual. The traffic was thin, pedestrians were scarce, and the streets were quiet but for an occasional car and police cruisers. Where was everyone? I’m not sure, but a sizable group packed the Plaza Theatre Company’s house to standing-room only, enjoying what had to be the best party and entertainment in town.
Plaza opened its 2008 season New Year’s Eve, on a Monday night rather than the typical Friday, staging a terrific, energy-filled presentation of the amusing, toe-tapping, sing-along musical comedy “Forever Plaid.”
Plaza furnished a tasty before-show hors d’oeuvre buffet and a post-show treat of Texas caviar (black eyed peas and salsa) with a champagne toast. Noisemakers and party favors were distributed to patrons, and delightfully festive room decorations were in abundance, giving the theater in the round a very cozy, celebratory atmosphere. Music and dancing followed the show.
If hors d’oeuvres are intended to whet the appetite for the main course, then Plaza delivered a proverbial show-biz feast. The cute and simple premise of the show provided lavish material for a visual, auditory and comedic tour de force. Four wannabe teen idols composing the 1950s group the Plaids accidentally are killed on their way to their first big, career-launching show; they mysteriously come back for one evening to do their show before returning to heaven. What follows is an exciting evening of one-liners, engaging actor-audience interaction and a nostalgic, song-filled look back to simpler times.
The actors cavort, dance, and ham-it-up throughout the show, telling the brief life stories of the group members — Frankie, Sparky, Jinx and Smudge — all while singing some of the best-known and most enjoyable songs of the 1950s in their one-night performance. The song-skit “Lady of Spain,” anchored by Jinx during the second act, is nothing short of a lengthy, sidesplitting, uproarious running parody of many corny acts on “The Ed Sullivan Show.”
The four actors portraying Frankie, Sparky, Jinx and Smudge — JaceSon Barrus, Aaron Siler, Greg Burton and John Kennedy, respectively — form extraordinary harmonies and play superbly off one another. They have obviously rehearsed long and hard to be able to deliver the demanding sight, physical and auditory gags with crisp timing. Although they didn’t hit all the high notes all the time nor deliver all the gags and one-liners with perfect timing, these minor flaws are easily overlooked. The total experience of the acting, singing, dancing and comedy is more than pleasing in this thoroughly enjoyable show.
The show is performed in two acts, the first being the longer, and the acts are separated by an almost-too-long intermission. I felt this way because the first act was so good that it left me wanting more. Anticipation is one thing, but a prolonged delay of game, so to speak, interrupts the otherwise excellent flow of song and show. Notable songs and stage moments of the first act include the Vogues’ “Moments to Remember,” the Crew Cuts’ “Crazy ’Bout Ya Baby” and the Perry Como classic “Catch a Falling Star.”
The strong vocals of all the actors, though none of them are trained as professional singers, compensated well for the theater’s audio system problems. But Cheri Mega deserves kudos for her terrific piano accompaniment.
Kennedy tackled such difficult classics as “Sixteen Tons” and “Rags-to-Riches,” a Tony Bennett signature song, doing a praiseworthy job on each. The other characters have their featured moments as well, and you’ll enjoy the song “No, Not Much,” originally performed by the Four Lads, in which the actors switch off the lead voice multiple times. Finally, you’ll chuckle and cheer when you watch the humorous tribute to Perry Como during “The Golden Cardigan.”
Plaza has produced another winning show you are sure to enjoy. In the process, I think they have invented a new Cleburne New Year’s Eve tradition. I hope they continue it by staging a production of a similarly enjoyable party and musical each New Year’s Eve. Only next year, I hope the Caddo Street Grill is open for a late-night early breakfast afterward.
“Forever Plaid” runs Thursday through Saturday until Feb. 2. For information and tickets contact the Plaza Theatre Company at 817-202-0600 or online at plaza-theatre.com.
