“Forever Plaid Tidings,” came a little early with the Christmas spirit at Derby Dinner Playhouse.
The musical is about four clean-cut boys called the Plaids from the ’60s whose “oober dream” of putting on a Christmas special is realized after being sent back to Earth after their early departure.
It is of no great coincidence that we happen upon the clean-cut Plaids in their afterlife state as they had been run over in 1964 by a bus of school girls on their way to the first U.S. taping of The Beatles. This little detail made “Forever Plaid Tidings” an enjoyable night for anyone who knows something about old television shows or music.
The Plaids harken back to the background singers, such as The Stamps who performed with Elvis Presley, which came at the price of a dime-a-dozen prior to The Beatles taking over the sound waves in the ’60s.
In true Derby Dinner Playhouse tradition, the ensemble was simple yet entertaining. The step back into the nostalgia with Christmas songs from the likes of Nat King Cole will surely take your mind off the hustle and bustle of the holiday season.
But it is the Plaids that bring back the 1950s naivety and enthusiasm as you would expect from the stereotypical sweet, wholesome singing group as they spend the two hours trying to piece together the Christmas television special they wanted in their days as a quartet.
As Perry Como, Dean Martin and Bing Crosby influenced the group musically, so do they also influence the Plaids in their effort to forge through a Christmas special.
However, the weak storyline began to affect the songs in a way that became more distracting than amusing. The slapstick comedy bled into the completion of certain songs, which left the crowd in a lurch between singing along and laughing. The hysterics seemed to get in the way of the audience’s ability to get into the swing of Christmas.
The Plaids seems a bit scattered without a real leader. As the Plaids were disoriented by their journey back to earth for one night of Christmas tunes, they disoriented the crowd, as well.
Overall, the play kept the music simple, but should have done the same with the storyline.
By JESSICA MEYER
Sports Editor
jessmeye@umail.iu.edu