Musical is next up for OLRC actors
Nostalgia – past days and memories of another time, another place in another life. The key that unlocks many of these doors lies in patterns of familiar notes and favorite song lyrics. Songs spark memories and bring people together, and the Old Lyric Repertory Company (OLRC) does both this season with the heavenly musical hit “Forever Plaid.”
This production, the second of the season, opens Thursday, June 19, and runs throughout the season until its closing on Friday, Aug. 1. For ticket information and dates call (435) 797-0305 or check the Web site at www.usu.edu/lyric.
“Forever Plaid” is a silly show based on a silly premise, but only in the best sense of the word, said Colin Johnson, producing artistic director of the OLRC. On the way to its first gig, the singing group, “The Plaids,” is killed in a tragic car accident involving parochial school children. The premise proves the old adage true – the show does go on, despite an absence of life.
“Forever Plaid” is a rollicking farce where four young men try to stage their first show, and the joy of the occasion is only heightened by the familiar tunes they sweetly sing throughout. Songs from the 50s conjure up a time that was more than rock‚n‚roll, greasers and hot rods. It
was also a time of the barbershop quartet, of four young men in dinner jackets and bowties, harmonizing and crooning songs of dreams, youth and love. Old favorites, including “Three Coins in the Fountain,” “Chain Gang” and “She Loves You,” spice up the action and bring back memories. The comedy of “Forever Plaid” is fresh, sweet and, well, funny, Johnson said.
Johnson, who is also head of the theatre department at Utah State University, directs this chaotic concert of a play. Johnson, director of last summer’s OLRC production of “Nunsense” at the Caine Lyric, is excited to again direct such a fun and frenzied musical.
“I grew up in the 50s with the Ed Sullivan and the Perry Como shows, both of which are the major resources for “Plaid” as is Steve Allen, Danny Kaye and the many television variety shows that popularized singing groups like the Ames Brothers, the Hi-Los, the Four Freshmen and others,” Johnson said. “Many of these old programs have been preserved on video as classic television. But, even if you don‚t know Senor Wences or Topo Gigio, you will recognize many of the immortal songs from this time, just before the dawn of rock’n’roll.”
When asked about what he wants the audience to take with them after the musical, Johnson reveals two views.
“Besides the memory of a laugh-filled evening in the theatre, I want audiences departing from “Forever Plaid” particularly if they remember that time, to compare its innocence with today’s world. Yes, television may have begun to erode the family unit, but programs were often watched by the entire family, with Sunday nights given over to Ed Sullivan, Tuesday to Milton Berle, and so forth. When Bob Hope did a special, people retold his jokes over and over the next day.”
Of course, the audience should always be on the lookout for the rubber chicken in this play, said Johnson. “It’s my trademark in every comedy I direct.”
Back to the stage for his eighth season is an OLRC favorite, Lee Daily, playing Jinx, the nervous tenor. Daily is joined by Richie Call, a second time OLRC member. Call will be seen on-stage as Francis, the spokesman of the singing group. Also on stage is Phillip R. Lowe in his fourth season at the Caine Lyric, last seen in OLRC’s 2000 productions “Blood Brothers” and “Boys Next Door.” He appears in “Forever Plaid” as the baritone Smudge, gangly and bespectacled. The fourth member rounding out the quartet is Tyson Smith, a performance major at Utah State experiencing year-one as an OLRC member. He will play the moody Sparky.
“I wanted to work again with Lee Daily, who was in the first production of “Plaid‚ back in ’95,” said Johnson. “Lee was one of our most popular and beloved OLRC regulars in the 90s and he has only deepened his comic talents in the intervening years.”
“Forever Plaid” is the creation of Stuart Ross, a child of the 50s. He originally created a revue sung in four-part harmony celebrating the innocence of the 50s, but then was hit by a stroke of genius. He killed his four singers, brought them back as ghosts and wrote a witty and silly play. Ross’s production spent four years in New York to rave reviews and sell-out audiences. It moved from a talky 2 ? hour show to a show that was faster, funny and nearly an hour shorter. The finished product has played around the country since moving out of New York in 1994.
The OLRC season consists of five shows running in repertory all summer, from June 12 through Aug. 9. The first, “On Golden Pond,” is followed by the comical tunes of “Forever
Plaid,” the barking madness of “Sylvia,” the who-done-it fun of “The Murder Room” and a classic love story in “The Last Train to Nibroc.”
“I think the season is marked by the humanity of its plays,” Johnson concluded. “Although there is humor in all the plays, there is also the poignancy of family relationships, new love and enduring sentiments from days when the world was a kinder and less-complex place.”
According to the OLRC publicity office, this season offers many more promotions throughout the season. This includes weekly Web site giveaways, special performance-night promotions and autograph opportunities. Watch the Web site for more, and keep an eye out for the OLRC Promo Jeep. Catch the driver and win merchandise, tickets and more. For more information on promotional activities and ushering opportunities, call 435-797-1500.
Tickets are currently available, including the OLRC’s Flex-Pass option. A Flex-Pass Season Subscription includes five coupons to any evening performance of choice (subject to ticket availability). With this pass, patrons can see what they want – one show five times or five shows once – all at savings. There is also a matinee Flex-Pass option for even more savings. Pricing and ticket information is available by calling (435) 797-0305 or by visiting www.usu.edu/lyric. Tickets can be purchased at the Smith Spectrum ticket office on the Utah State campus (7600 Old Main Hill, Logan).
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