‘Forever Plaid’ turns back musical clock at Center

Tom Titus

If you were a pop music lover in the pre-Elvis 1950s, chances are you

figured you’d never again enjoy four-part harmony groups such as the

Four Aces, the Four Lads, the Four Freshmen or any other of the

melodic quartets that occupied a special place in jukebox nostalgia.

Well, if this sort of harmonic convergence gets you teary eyed,

recalling your old high school prom days, make your way to the Orange

County Performing Arts Center, where “Forever Plaid” will be holding

forth in Founders Hall through Sept. 21.

This musical comedy revue has been around since 1990 but -- save for a brief stop a few years ago at Orange Coast College -- has

managed to avoid our local theaters. Now, however, we have three

weeks in which to enjoy and (if we’re of a certain age) recall the

days when we danced to “Shangri-la,” “Three Coins in the Fountain” or

“Love is a Many Splendored Thing.”

“Forever Plaid” comes equipped with a goofy back story -- four

young singers on the verge of their big break were “snuffed out

mid-coda” in a 1964 collision with a school bus filled with Catholic

teenagers on their way to see the Beatles’ debut on “The Ed Sullivan

Show.” Now, however, they’ve been granted some heavenly reprieve to

put on the show they never got to do in life.

And, while the Plaids’ voices are angelic, they’re still nerdy

teenagers at heart, and writer-director Stuart Ross (or tour director

Allen McMullen) has loaded this version of the show with a good deal

more physical comedy and out-and-out slapstick than has been evident

in past productions. This quartet -- Gregory Allen Bock, Michael

Macaione, Jeffrey Pierce Miles and Allan Snyder -- is capable of

milking a comic moment almost to the point of being tiresome before

switching gears and blending their lungs in soothing sound.

All four excel at the sort of overt physical comedy that might be

found in “Revenge of the Nerds,” but their harmonizing more than

compensates for any egregious antics. Miles, in particular, attacks

the early ‘50s musical genre with a vengeance, while Macaione (whose

character is prone to nervousness and nosebleeds) handles most of the

requisite geekiness.

The Plaids offer a generous glimpse of early ‘50s flair with such

standards as “Moments to Remember,” “Rags to Riches” and even Johnny

Ray’s biggie, “Cry.” But their best moments come when they’re

engaging the audience in a Calypso sing-along (Harry Belafonte’s

signature song “Matilda”) or bringing back the best of “The Ed

Sullivan Show” in a little over three minutes.

The manic energy exhibited in the latter number is the evening’s

most enjoyable skirmish -- particularly for those of us who watched

the “really big shew” on Sunday nights. And at each performance, some

lucky lady from the audience will get to accompany the Plaids on

piano for a brief version of “Heart and Soul.”

Backed by music director Benjamin Toth on piano and Tim

Christensen on bass, “Forever Plaid” is musically delicious while

maintaining its frenetic comic pace. The Plaids pack a plethora of

music and laughs into a show that runs less than 90 minutes without

intermission.

* TOM TITUS reviews local theater for the Daily Pilot. His reviews

appear Fridays.