‘Forever Plaid’ is a harmony of fun

LORRAINE WARDLE

entertainment@vindy.com

YOUNGSTOWN

Easy Street Productions is known for its Broadway- caliber productions and Saturday night’s performance of “Forever Plaid” did not disappoint. It is an adorable, enjoyable and impressive musical comedy.

The cute, quirky musical revue is about The Plaids, a fictional 1950s singing quartet. The four young men — Sparky, Frankie, Smudge and Jinx — were high-school friends with aspirations of stardom, until they perished in an auto accident on their way to their first big show.

The quartet is granted the chance to return to earth and perform the show it never got to do. As Sparky says, “Good evening, we’re The Plaids and we’re dead.”

What follows is a sweet show that kept the audience smiling and bopping. The actors move quickly through musical numbers and dialog with light and silly humor. There was never a dull moment in the brisk 90-minute production.

The Plaids sounded amazing, singing in perfect four-part harmony. The sound was mixed and balanced so well that the production sounded just like a record from the ’50s.

Each Plaid was an impressive part of the quartet. Sparky, played by Tyler Clark, seemed to be the leader of the group whose confident and cool demeanor carried his performances. Todd Hancock’s Smudge was a sweet though nervous singer with an impressive bass, while James McClellan’s cute and anxious Jinx sang the high tenor.

Clark, Hancock and McClellan are consummate professionals who make every Easy Street production a delight. Likewise, Easy Street newcomer Josh Green seems to be taking Youngstown by storm, one theater company at a time. His impressive turn as Frankie adds to his growing repertoire of great performances.

The Plaids are a tribute to a time when popular music and singing groups were wholesome, rather than cool. The show is full of nostalgia for the music and lifestyle of the 1950s.

One of the highlights of the show was the quartet’s re-enactment of “The Ed Sullivan Show” in “three minutes and eleven seconds.” The wacky, rapid antics had the audience roaring, though most of the references went right over my head.

“Forever Plaid” also includes audience participation that created an entertaining experience.

The evening was made more perfect by a pre-show dinner at Overture restaurant, adjacent to the Ford Family Recital Hall and also part of the DeYor Center for the Performing Arts. The food was delicious and the service, impeccable.