Plaid Tidings

Reviewed by Holly Bartges

The diagnosis arrived: Sequel Syndrome. That’s what the Arvada Center’s Black Box production of Plaid Tidings suffers from. Rarely do sequels of run-away hits live up to expectations. Plaid Tidings is a perfect example.

Joseph Torello (Smudge), James E. Bullard (Francis (Frankie)), Alan Swadener (Jinx), Scott Ahearn (Sparky) in the Arvada Center’s production of Plaid Tidings. Photo by P. Switzer

For those who not yet had opportunity to experience Forever Plaid, Plaid Tidings undoubtedly will warm the cockles of Holiday hearts, plunking them smack in the midst of a celebratory spirit.

For those familiar with Forever Plaid, however, this production spells disappointment.

Forever Plaid rocked the country after its first performance in 1990, and continues to do so, with high energy, defined personalities, and stunning precision. The clean-cut Plaids of the 1950’s, high school buddies, dreamed of hitting the big time. Their dreams died when, on their way to see The Beatles American debut on the Ed Sullivan Show, they collided with a school bus of catholic girls. All four Plaids were killed. Forever Plaid gives them opportunity to return from the after-life to do the show they always wanted to do.

Right up front, I have to admit the shadowy ghosts of five production companies of Forever Plaid from the Denver Center’s Galleria to Littleton, to Centennial, to Las Vegas, to Boulder colored my critical eyes and ears. OK, the production at Country Dinner Playhouse didn’t quite climb the rungs of the ladder to perfection.

Known for its fast paced antics, awesome harmony, and precise choreography akin to the Radio City Music Hall Rockets dashed with whimsical humor, all four of the Plaids moved as one in astonishing unity, incredible harmony, keeping their four distinct personalities strongly in tact.

Directed and choreographed by Anita Boland for The Arvada Center, it is highly questionable, because of the age difference, if these four Plaids could have been high school buddies.

Called back to earth to perform a Holiday show, the four: Francis (Frankie) (James E. Bullard), Sparky (Scott Ahern), Jinx, (Alan Swadener), and Smudge, (Joseph Torello) spin their wheels in confusion over why they have been summoned. A Holiday Show is what they want to do, but they want to be certain that is their real reason. To cover their tracks they rehash many of the songs featured in Forever Plaid: Stranger In Paradise, Sh-Boom, and Hey There. They reminisce over Perry Como and the Ed Sullivan Show, again. Unfortunately, neither piece holds a candle to the original production.

Even in the after-life, it seems age caught up with these four Plaids. All the way through the show, the choreography lacked energy and that incredible precision.

Musical Director Martha Yordy kept the tempo moving, making the piano sit up and talk with her ingenious musicality. The harmony with these four Plaids remained as thrilling as the piano. Some of the solo work, at times, struggled for the right key. Not often, but often enough to cause the ears to shudder over a wrong note.

Some very clever lyrics came into play as songs melded together in medley including Psycho Christmas, The Christmas Song, Holiday Catering Drill. Christmas Calypso, and Calypso Tag, to name a few.

Sparky tries to live up to his reputation of being the clown, cracking jokes, caring for his step- brother Jinx, along with his love for performing, but he doesn’t come across quite as strong the Forever Plaid Sparky does.

Jinx does maintain his shyness in this production, revealing his terror of forgetting lyrics and the next song. His perpetual nosebleeds offer a few honest humorous moments.,/p>

Frankie’s asthma catches up with him when he feels things tend to get out of control.

Smudge the worrier, maintains his worrisome nit picking over props, whether the audience likes him, his chronic nervous stomach, his dyslexia, wearing dark rimmed glasses.

However, none of the personalities reach the pinnacle of balanced humored interaction established with Forever Plaid. There is too much space between connections; giving the impression the actors force the personalities rather than letting them flow as a unit.

When Smudge’s glasses are removed, and he gets turned around and away from the other three, it is highly believable until he comes down the stairs into the audience. If he really didn’t know where he was, wouldn’t he have stumbled when he hit the stairs? Wouldn’t the stairs give him a clue he trekked in the wrong direction? Yes, of course, they want to get him into the audience, but the stairs blow the illusion, reducing the shtick to nothing more then half-hearted slap-stick.

The Black Box set designed by Brian Mallgrave featured blue and white snowflake crystals providing a most pleasing happy Holiday spirit atmosphere.

Because of a series of comedy of errors toppling over themselves and me last Friday night, it needs to be said the staff encountered at the Arvada Center were absolutely top-notch professionally helpful. They all knew exactly what to do, and what to say, replacing the I-think-I want-to-go-home-now disparity with Wow! I am glad I stayed. Jerry Cunningham and Rod A. Lansberry added their smiling two-cents “Not to worry”. I wish I had all of their names. They deserve kudos, high recognition, and engraved Thank You’s!!!! It is all too easy to point out unknowledgeable theatre staff making unapologetic Boo-Boo’s, neglecting to recognize highly skilled professionals going out of their way to turn a comedy of errors into a comedy of whimsical, magical gratitude. The Arvada staff did just that. Would that in this case, the production matched the quality of the Arvada staff.

If you’ve never seen Forever Plaid, go, you’ll sense the Holiday spirit lurking in the shadows. If you’ve loved Forever Plaid, go, holding your breath with realistic expectations. Some of the clever lyrics will tickle the funny bone. Just don’t expect the perfection Forever Plaid laid out at the Denver Center’s Galleria Theatre.