Few theater lovers have gotten this far into the 1990s without coming across Forever Plaid, a send-up of 1950s male vocal groups. The Plaids, as most everyone knows by now, are four geeky guys who met in their high school audio-visual club and formed a band. Just as their career was starting to take off, the guys were killed in a car accident. Somehow, they have been returned to earth just long enough to complete the concert they would have played that night. An outlandish premise? Of course. But that's what makes the show such fun, as they mix black humor with clever (though sophomoric) shenanigans. Although they cruise through more than 30 tunes -- ranging from "Three Coins in the Fountain" to "Catch a Falling Star" -- the Plaids offer more than a trip through memory lane. The foursome show real caring for each other, and this heightens the show's appeal. A tight script and excellent production values also contribute to the show's quality. A high point is when the group recreate an entire retrospective of "The Ed Sullivan Show" in 3 minutes, 11 seconds.
The low point is when the show turns to audience participation for easy laughs. It doesn't really add anything to the production and seems cornball for an otherwise top-notch show. Forever Plaid's set, borrowed from the London production, is a pastel gem in soft pink and green. The show's conceit is that these spastic, goofy guys -- who apparently can't tell their left from the right, judging from their dance moves -- are, in truth, talented performers. Milwaukee's production features a genuinely young cast -- they're all twentysomething. Ryan Bailer, Erik Boyd, Mark Meyers and Aaron Thielen create memorable characters and a sense of pure innocence, which is essential to making this show work.
Forever Plaid is scheduled for a 13-week run in Milwaukee, but it's probably going to be much longer before the Plaids take their return trip to heaven.
