Enjoy the show or your money back, Golden Apple is offering. The confidence is not misplaced. With its mostly heavenly reenactment of the corny but cute singing guy groups of the 1950s-early 1960s, Forever Plaid is almost a guaranteed hit wherever it goes. It appeals naturally to nostalgic audiences and pleasantly shows younger ones a glimpse of kinder, gentler, if sillier pop entertainments. A bit of astro mumbo jumbo explains why the "held up" Plaids, who died in an accident en route to their first pro show in 1964, will finally give that performance. Hit by Catholic school girls on a bus bound for the Beatles' debut on Ed Sullivan's show, the Plaids were on their way out anyway, of course. Their three-minute recreation of such a show, complete with Senor Wences and Singing Nun, along with their take on "She Loves You" are Moments to Remember most.
Perhaps too much is made of their Osterizer School of Harmonizing, their (to my mind, overwrought) nervousness as they plunge -- literally, for they were used to rehearsing with Smudge's father's plumbing plungers subbing for mikes; and especially the exaggerated gestures that match the texts of their songs. The audience seems to like their songs and harmonies just as the Plaids deliver them. Intertwined versions of "16 Tons" and "Chain Gang" work best as satire, as the singers saw away or clankily hit, not at coal but a catsup bottle. Backgrounds and costumes that turn plaid delight, too.
The performers really do seem nervous and, in the case of Roy Johns, older than Smudge should be, tired. Patrick Brewis as Frankie best captures the sweet spirit behind the Plaids. He's a good foil to overly shy Jinx (Michael Harrington) and Tommy O'Donnell's laborious version of self-confident Sparky. No matter what the song, David Nelson on a wonderful grand piano is worth listening to.
