Like the possessive in their name, not followed with any noun, The GiGi’s seem incomplete somehow. They appear to want to emulate popular, great girl groups in song from the 1930s onward. But they follow through in a context of Disney World performance, meant to wow tourists. They are insistently energetic. The girls claim from the beginning to be like “Sisters” and name themselves Peggy, Maggie, and Jo, but don’t look alike among themselves or look like the singers they try to emulate. In the first half of their program, their standout songs require audience participation. First an older man, then his wiry little wife, get center stage. The man’s allowed to sing a few lines. The woman is to gesture with her arms and twists of body, The expectation is that each will be a bit awkward, as so often happens in cheap audience participation. But when I attended the performance, the man and women outdid the performers, even ad libbing well. Modern songs head the program. The second half traces girls groups singing “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy” to “We Are Family.” But there’s not a GiGi who lives up to the Andrews Sisters (“Rum and Coca Cola” lacks fizz) or Taylor Swift, none of whom squeaked. A refreshing intrusion may be credited to pianist Tom Casey, who leaves his instrument to rock ‘n then rolls out “Great Balls of Fire.” On the bright side, the girls change into an array of costumes. First they’re wearing rhinestones from wrists to ears and halter-top black full skirts over red petticoats. In the course of an evening, they change into filmy white dresses, white bath robes, silvery tops that morph into full gowns, bright red evening gowns, black dresses with silver threads, and billowy red dresses. The costume parade is better than the GiGi’s parade of songs. Projections are uncredited. But they’re really not needed.
