'Forever Plaid' at the Nancy Marine Studio Theatre - My Review

Forever Plaid is running at the Nancy Marine Studio Theater down the street from the Warner Theater in Torrington. The show is billed as a "heavenly hit musical comedy to die for." It takes the audience back to the 1950s with Sparky, Jinx, Smudge and Frankie in a charming show that is laced with an impressive list of period musical numbers.

The premise is that this four-part guy group have been killed en route to pick up their custom-made plaid tuxedos when they are hit by a school bus filled with Catholic teens on their way to the American debut of the Beatles. Now they have the chance to return to the cosmos to present the performance of their lives, or death. And perform they do, all while keeping the audience laughing out loud at their comic antics. I had an excellent complimentary seat for the second Friday performance and the house was quite full.

This show is somewhat like a male version of  The Taffettas that appeared on this same stage a few years back. However, while the female edition was naive and sweet, this show was sweet but extremely funny. I was laughing so hard that I am sure I missed some of the funny lines.

Director Sharon A. Wilcox (currently directing Mary Cantoni Johnson in One Night with Fanny Brice at the 13th Street Repertory Theater in NYC) has directed/choreographed several productions of Forever Plaid, sometimes with a few of the same actors over the years. Nevertheless, the final production is never "like we did it last time. That's part of the magic--what makes Forever Plaid so much fun." Here she strives to have the actors be "in the moment because that is where the magic happens and makes the show fresh and new time and again." Clearly, she succeeded.

What this director always seems able to do brilliantly is cast the best men (in this case) for the job. For this version, she has gathered a quartet of some of the finest young male actors in the area and matched them perfectly to the well-drawn characters. All four of them are wonderful singers (and there is not a single note out of place,) excellent comic actors and very good dancers. Together, they bring the Plaids (back) to life.

The talented Bret Bisaillon plays Sparky for what he writes will be the last time in this production and I am glad that I had the chance to catch his performance. While he definitely plays the role with broad strokes, he was both charming and hysterical. This production is the second time that Ian Diedrich (Francis) performs in the brotherhood that is Forever Plaid. I could watch Mr. Diedrich play any role onstage, but here he was at his comic best. As the suave group leader, he also played his role to perfection.

The amazing tenor Meric Martin also returns to the stage with his fellow Plaids. Fresh from his role as the voice of the Audrey II in Little Shop, Mr. Martin carried the highest notes in the tight harmony and also nailed the comedy. Dan Porri played the final Plaid called Smudge. He calls the show his dream show; he credits the incredible cast and production team that he is honored to call both colleagues and friends. Mr. Porri covered the bass part surprisingly well and is looking forward to being the music director for the Phoenix Stage Company's Sweeney Todd (yay!) He will also be appearing in the ensemble of Les Miserables at the Thomaston Opera House, along with his lovely wife Meredith Porri (who happened to sit behind me as she attended her husband's  performance for the third time in a show of support.)

Kevin Sturmer provides the voice that tells the story of the Plaids at the beginning of the show as the four men enter the theater in white dinner jackets, carrying lighted candles while singing the hymn "Deus ex Plaid." The other musical numbers are more familiar and the many songs and their permissions fill an entire page in the program. My favorites where the hysterically funny Caribbean Plaid medley and the "Heart and Soul" number that took place when music director AJ Bunel left his piano and the stage for a "union required break."

The three-piece orchestra with Mr. Bunel, Paul Bilodeau on upright bass and Isaac Monts on drum kit was perfectly loud enough for the space and sounded great. The beautiful set designed by Ms. Wilcox totally fit the period, as did the plaid touches. Dan Checovetes lit the stage as beautifully as he always does making Aurora Monenero's costumes look their best. Ms. Wilcox provided the props that sometimes came out at a fast and furious rate.

I highly recommend going to see Forever Plaid if you enjoy the harmonic music of the early fifties. If you are too young to remember that, you will enjoy the hysterical plot and antics of these four talented guys. The show runs a little over ninety minutes with no intermission. Go see it before it closes on  June 23.