Why is it that Stuart Ross' slight musical Forever Plaid (Off-Broadway, 1989) is such a pleasure? The show radiates easy charm throughout the George Theatre at A.D. Players without even trying.
There's nary a book. An unsuccessful '60s boy band is mysteriously resurrected after being killed by a bus bearing Catholic school children off to see the Beatles perform on the Ed Sullivan Show. Plaid is the gig these guys would have performed that fateful night, perhaps their big chance. That's it for drama, conflict, or character development. Plaid is your basic bare-bones revue: one number after the other, not much patter, no filler.
What it really delivers is an homage to the Four Aces. If you don't remember that boy band quartet, you have nonetheless heard their classic easy-listening renditions of “Love is a Many Splendored Thing,” the Oscar-winning song from the film of the same name, or “Three Coins in the Fountain,” also an Oscar-winning song from the film of the same name.
The Four Aces were big until their music and the slick four-part harmonies they sang went swiftly out of fashion with the rise of Do-Wop, then ever quicker with rock 'n' roll's swagger, and quickest of all when the British invasion was ushered in by the Beatles in 1965. That quartet's international meteoric ascension spelled the doom for the big band era, puppy love, saddle shoes, and a great deal of Broadway. Sigmund Romberg was never heard of again.
If you are of a certain age, the songs from Plaid will hurl you back in time as if you've just eaten a Proust madeleine. You probably know all the words to “Moments to Remember,” No, Not Much,” “Perfidia,” “Catch a Falling Star,” Heart and Soul” or “Shangri-La.” You can probably remember where you were and what you were doing when you first heard these delicious ear-worms. If you remember Perry Como, Peggy Lee, Frankie Laine, and groups such as the Ames Brothers, the McGuire Sisters, and the Four Lads, Plaid will be your catnip. Who needs CBD gummies when you can relive the music of your youth and go back in time without regrets? It's a rush.
That's the allure of Plaid, for sure – unalloyed nostalgia. But you've also got to have singers who can put these great tunes over with panache, vocal polish, and a celestial blending of tenor, baritone, and base. Plaid's got 'em. Baritone Brad Goertz (Frankie), high tenor Nick Szoeke (Jinx), tenor Scott Clark (Sparky), and bass Charlie Mechling (Smudge). What a perfect quartet. Why I listed their character names I don't know, because they don't have any personalities to speak of except one per each: Frankie's go-getter attitude, Jinx's stage fright, Smudge's disbelief, and Sparky's frat-boy innocence. But, my, do their voices blend in heavenly unison. There's purity in these vocals, and that's why we're here. That's why they're here.
Another plus on the pleasure meter would be Jonathan Craft's musical direction, ably abetted by Stephen Martin on bass and Luke Hubley on drums. It might sound as if it would be a puny ensemble for this lush early '50s sound, but these sure-fingered musicians play like a philharmonic. The trio is just another spark added to this warm lovely revue.
Ace Houston actor Joel Sandel directs, and his work is smooth, real smooth. Watch how he places the boys around the stage during “Moments to Remember,” as they sit on the edge of Michael Mullins' classy set design of proscenium arch ringed with marquee lights and a large LP platter for stage floor, or the playful antics during the “Caribbean Plaid” montage with its lighted miniature bananas and audience interaction. Sandel's entire mise en scene is playful and full of fun. Chesley Santoro Krohn's choreography catches this fun and imbues the boys' signature moves with a breezy old-time pizzazz.
If the sound of the '50s seems long ago and far away or utterly out-of-date, Forever Plaid fashioned by this group of pros elicits waves of remembrance and feelings of soft joy. This show isn't splashy or sexy; it glows softly from times past. It's very pleasant, it sounds great, it looks great, and that's good enough for me.
Forever Plaid continues through October 1 at 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays; 8 p.m. Fridays; 2:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturdays; and 2:30 p.m. Sundays at A.D. Players, 5420 Westheimer. For more information, call 713-526-2721 or visit adplayers.org. $23 - $71.
