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| Pictured left to right are Sean Powell, Jeremy Sloan, Matthew Brown, and Robert Head. Photo by Craig Mitchelldyer |
By Tina Arth and Darrell Baker
On this lovely Thanksgiving day we are thankful that we
consider ourselves reviewers, not critics. Last night’s production of Plaid Tidings at Broadway Rose would
stymie a critic – there is, quite simply, nothing to criticize. The show is not
just perfect, it’s: wonderful, enchanting, festive, funny, wistful,
heartwarming… everything a Christmas show should be.
Show creator Stuart Ross brought the original show, Forever Plaid, to the stage in 1990. For
years he resisted writing a sequel, but he finally relented after 9/11,
convinced that “we all needed a little joy and a little cozy holiday fun to
lift spirits.” It is something of an understatement to say that he succeeded,
and his success is amplified three-fold by the sensitivity, wit, and
craftsmanship of Director Dan Murphy and Music Director Jeffrey Childs (not to
mention the cast – but more about that later!).
Former high school buddies Sparky, Jinx, Smudge, and Frankie
had formed a close-harmony guy group, The Plaids. The group’s
none-too-successful career was cut short by a fatal car crash; they were on
their way to a show when they collided with a bus full of Catholic girls off to
see the Beatles. The Plaids have already
returned to Earth once in their role as celestial Guardians of Harmony (in Forever Plaid) and they have no idea why
their have been brought back for a sequel. The slow revolves around their
musical attempts to fulfill an unknown destiny, carrying us through decades of
musical styles (most done, of course, in their signature 4-part harmony). With
the help of a disembodied Rosemary Clooney they finally figure out that they
are here to give the Christmas show they never got to do (and to bring a little
harmony into the lives of their audience). Not surprisingly, the rest of the
show is comprised primarily of the Plaids performing their holiday masterpiece,
“Plaid Tidings.”
While each of the Plaids (Matthew Brown as “Sparky,” Robert
Head as “Jinx,” Sean Powell as “Smudge,” and Jeremy Sloan as “Frankie”) has the
opportunity to shine in solo or lead performances, Plaid Tidings is a quintessentially ensemble show. Despite their four amazing voices, the whole
is so much greater than the sum of its parts that it is senseless to parse out
individual performances for special praise. Each performer is called on for
much more than his vocal prowess – we get juggling, dancing (Agnes de Mille
would be stunned at their use of “plumber’s friends” in lieu of Fiddler’s broomsticks), pratfalls, an
amazing attempt at the splits, physical comedy, accordion and piano playing,
and a hefty dose of shamelessly wide-eyed and innocent pathos.
Of course, the Plaids don’t do it all by themselves. Bassist Sean Vinson and pianist Jeffrey Childs
provide a full and polished musical background (except when Childs is off on
his “union-mandated break”), and Bearclaw Heart’s lighting design is, as
always, impeccable. The cleverly designed sets flow seamlessly, taking the
Plaids from four mikes on a bare stage to a completely realized holiday setting
without delay.
No other Portland
Broadway Rose Theatre Company’s Plaid Tidings runs through December 22 at the New Stage, 12850 SW Grant Avenue
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