'Taffetas' recalls a simpler time

The four stars blend well, offering a pleasing night of entertainment.
By LINDA M. LINONIS
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- "The Taffetas," which opened Friday night at New Castle Playhouse, makes magic in the music from the '50s.
The four female songstresses, outfitted in modest dresses in blue, green, lavender and pink pastels, sensible shoes, casual page-boy hair styles and fresh faces, make it happen with engaging harmonizing and nicely done solo spots.
There was no leather, spandex, body piercings or stilettos in sight. The stage was simple, the props were four stools. There weren't any fireworks, stacks of amplifiers, an army of backup singers or dancing chorus boys. (And they weren't missed or needed.)
The music takes the audience back to simpler, maybe more innocent, times as the singers are featured in their television debut on the show, "Spotlight on Music."
The wishes in the lyrics aren't profound, just heartfelt, like the question in "Teenager in Love." There's no vulgarity and nothing risqu & eacute;. What a refreshing change of pace from some contemporary concerts, where the superstars are known as much for their lurid behavior as their songs.
"The Taffetas" shared tidbits about themselves with the studio audience and those in TV land via "Taffeta Chatter." They answered questions in letters; they wouldn't know what a tabloid reporter was.
All sweetness
The singers, hailing from Muncie, Ind., revealed "what kind of boys they like," "what their hobbies are" and "where they get their fabulous dresses" (their mother hand-sews them). And an intrusive, if rude question, never addressed by the girls, was wadded up and thrown away with scorn.
The sisters also shared their thrill of participating in the Ball Jar Festival in Muncie, which pays tribute to canning jars, and greeting people at the opening of the IGA.
The members of "The Taffetas" are Kristen Franus, Bryana Servedio, Jennifer Spencer and Shannon Stansbury. Gene Duda is the stage manager, who has kind of a bumbling manner in the way of Ed Sullivan.
And there's a rumor that the legendary variety show host is tuning into "Spotlight on Music" to hear the Taffeta sisters, which might lead to an invitation to perform on "The Ed Sullivan Show." (And, indeed, word is received by the show's end that the invitation has been made.)
The personalities of the sisters emerge as they perform. Stansbury as Cheryl goes the ditzy-blonde route with gusto. As Kaye, the oldest sister, Spencer provides a take-charge attitude. Servedio as Donna, who seems to be the youngest sister, is eager to tell everyone how she loves Chevrolet convertibles.
She plays the role with enthusiasm. She sometimes squabbles with sibling Peggy, who seems to be the go-to sister, when the group needs a spokeswoman. Franus doesn't take a back seat to her stage siblings, as she's just as much fun to watch.
Doing double duty in the show were Franus as musical director and Stansbury as choreographer.
Good harmony
The young women all have good, pleasing voices, and their harmonizing is simply music to the ears. The Taffetas make it an evening of nostalgia as they sing such selections as "Sha Boom," "Mr. Sandman" and "Sincerely."
The "hurt" medley of songs features Spencer offering a heartfelt version of "I'm Sorry," and the "boys" medley finds her again in the spotlight with a nice rendition of "Where the Boys Are. & quot;
The performers also pitch the show's sponsor, Galaxy Beauty Products, and shows that not only can they pitch a song, but products as well. And their product endorsement seems as sweet as their motto, "A smile is a crooked line that makes everything straight."
The show is music-based and there's not much dialogue, just enough to offer a snapshots about the singers and advance the show.
The shows at New Castle Playhouse generally have a nice, if not full, house on opening night. But Friday's downpour and the ensuing water woes resulted in nearly 90 ticket cancellations. But the small crowd that braved the rainy night was an appreciative audience. The only other problem was a sometimes troublesome sound system and irritating feedback.
Music accompaniment, as listed in the program, was provided by Kevin Danielson on piano and "The Heavy Weather Band" of Bill Brown, Dan Lynch and John Schultz. Kenneth Cole directed.