Forever Plaid

Forever Plaid
Music Various Artists
Lyrics Various Artists
Book Stuart Ross
Productions 1989 New York City

Forever Plaid is an Off-Broadway musical revue written by Stuart Ross, and first performed in New York in 1989 and now performed internationally.

Overview

The show is a revue of the close-harmony "guy groups" (e.g. The Four Aces, The Four Freshmen) that reached the height of their popularity during the 1950s. Personifying the clean-cut genre are the Plaids. This quartet of high-school chums' dreams of recording an album ended in death in a collision with a bus filled with Catholic schoolgirls on their way to see the Beatles' American debut on The Ed Sullivan Show. The revue begins with the Plaids returning from the afterlife for one final chance at musical glory.

The songs they sing during the course of the musical include: "Three Coins in the Fountain"; "Undecided"; "Gotta Be This or That"; "Moments to Remember"; "Crazy 'Bout Ya, Baby"; "No, Not Much"; "Sixteen Tons"; "Chain Gang"; "Perfidia"; "Cry"; "Heart and Soul"; "Lady of Spain"; "Scotland the Brave"; "Shangri-La"; "Rags to Riches"; and "Love is a Many-Splendored Thing".

Productions

The original cast included Jason Graae (Sparky); Stan Chandler (Jinx); David Engel (Smudge); and Guy Stroman (Frankie). The musical opened in November 1989 at Steve McGraw's in New York City,[1] The revue re-opened at McGraw's in May 1990 and closed on June 12, 1994.[2][3]

The revue had previous engagements at the West Bank Cafe, The American Stage Company at the Becton Theatre (Teaneck, New Jersey in December 1988)[4] and The Wisdom Bridge Theatre (Chicago, Illinois in February 1990).[5]

Musical arrangements, vocal arrangements and musical direction were by James Raitt;[6] the show was written, directed, and choreographed by Stuart Ross.

Set list

  1. Deus Ex Plaid
  2. Three Coins in the Fountain
  3. Gotta Be This or That/Undecided
  4. Moments to Remember
  5. Crazy 'Bout Ya Baby
  6. No, Not Much
  7. Perfidia
  8. Cry
  9. Sixteen Tons/Chain Gang
  10. Private Functions
    • The Bride Cuts the Cake
    • Italian Wedding
    • Anniversary Waltz
    • Itty Bitty Town of Bethlehem
    • Hava Nagila
    • Rock-a My Soul
    • She Loves You
  11. The Golden Cardigan/Catch a Falling Star
  12. Intermission
  13. Caribbean Plaid
    • Day-O
    • Kingston Market
    • Jamaica Farwell
    • Matilda Matilda
  14. Heart and Soul
  15. Mercury/Lady of Spain
  16. Scotland the Brave
  17. Shangri-La/Rags to Riches (samples "The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly")
  18. Love is a Many Splendored Thing

Motion picture

The play was produced as a motion picture (released on July 9, 2009) starring Chandler and Engel from the original cast, with Larry Raben and Daniel Reichard taking over for Sparky and Francis (Frankie), respectively. David Hyde Pierce guest stars as the narrator. [7] David Snyder served as musical director and pianist. The movie was written and directed by the show's original creator, Stuart Ross, and edited by Oscar and Emmy winner Alan Helm.[8] The performances of "The Golden Cardigan" and "Catch a Falling Star" are notably absent.

Sequels

The Pasadena Playhouse and Neptune Theatre (Halifax), famous for its versions of the original, ran a sequel called Plaid Tidings, a holiday version with modified story and songs. The Pasadena engagement premiered in November 2001,[9] and ran again in December 2002. The Los Angeles Times reviewer wrote that the musical is "enormously entertaining feel-good fare...Plaid Tidings, however, significantly expands upon the original model, its self-contained ethos of sunny homage augmented with flashes of pathos and larger point."[10] Plaid Tidings made its New York City debut at the York Theatre Company at St. Peter's in December 2015.[11]

It is available for licensing through Music Theatre International.

A version for high schools, The Sound of Plaid: Forever Plaid School Version, is being created by Music Theatre International.

References

  1. ↑ Holden Stephen. "Review/Cabaret; 'Forever Plaid,' a Spoof" The New York Times, November 23, 1989
  2. ↑ Holden, Stephen. "Reviews/Theater; A Spoof of the 1950's Moves to Off Broadway" The New York Times, May 25, 1990
  3. ↑ " Forever Plaid Off-Broadway" lortel.org, accessed May 22, 2016
  4. ↑ Klein, Alvin. "Review. 'Forever Plaid' Revisits the 50's" The New York Times, December 25, 1988
  5. ↑ Christiansen, Richard. "Good Fun at Wisdom Bridge" Chicago Tribune (archives), February 3, 1990
  6. ↑ "James Raitt; Broadway Arranger and Stage Musical Director" Los Angeles Times, April 30, 1994
  7. ↑ Lieber, Ann. " Forever Plaid: The Movie theatermania.com, August 25, 2008
  8. ↑ "Forever Plaid" Official movie website: Cast & Crew
  9. ↑ "History" mtishows.com, accessed May 23, 2016
  10. ↑ Nichols, David C. "'Plaid Tidings' is a holiday delight" Los Angeles Times, December 17, 2002
  11. ↑ Clement, Olivia. "York Theatre's 'Plaid Tidings' Opens Tonight Off-Broadway" Playbill, December 13, 2015

External links

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