Our patrons are loving FOREVER PLAID. Every night so many stream past on the way out the door saying something like “this is the best one yet”. We are so proud of the hard work, dedication and excellence put in by this charming group of performers, musicians and crew. If you haven’t yet made plans to attend – DON’T WAIT! This weekends shows are nearly full and the rest are filling fast. Call us at 817-202-0600 or visit www.plaza-theatre.com to get your seats.

Now read what critic Paul Gnadt of The Star Group Newspapers thought of the show:

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FOREVER PLAID at Plaza Theatre Company
by Paul Gnadt of The Star Group Newspapers

Great songs from the past, side-splitting physical funny stuff and pleasing four-part harmony are the fabric that make “Forever Plaid” — the current production of the Plaza Theatre Company — one of the most popular community theater productions of all time.

As you would expect, PTC nails it, weaving together the right cast, clever staging and creative props in this trip down the musical memory lane of every Baby Boomer who ever put a nickle in the Jukebox.

Plaza favorites Kyle Adams (“Smoke on the Mountain,” “Thoroughly Modern Millie”) and Andrew Guzman (“Smoke on the Mountain,” “Fiddler on the Roof”) are back and brought their excellent singing voices with them. They’re joined by PTC rookies Andrew Trites and Matt Sacy, whose stage presence belies the fact that this is their first time with the PTC.

The individual facial expressions and timing as a foursome in the physically demanding comic routines is right on.
But it’s the songs that are the foundation of the show, and the quartet is absolutely outstanding as they sing 20 oldies but greaties favorites — sometimes one right after another — many accompanied by hilarious sight gags.

If you grew up with the music of the Four Freshmen, the Lettermen, the Hi-Lo’s or the Four Aces, then you already know the words to “Three Coins in the Fountain,” “Moments to Remember,” “No Not Much,” and “Love is a Many Splendored Thing.”

The boys are accompanied by live music, provided by musical director Cheri Dee Mega on piano, Mike Melody on bass  and Parker Barrus on drums.

The songs are great, and alone would be worth the price of admission, so it’s a bonus that there’s a plot and story line, too.

Basically, it’s this: The Plaids are a four-man harmony group of high school buddies — Frankie, Sparky, Jinx and Smudge — who in 1962 were on their way to play the Fuselounge at the airport in Pittsburgh, Pa., when their cherry-red Mercury convertible was broadsided by a bus full of Catholic schoolgirls on their way to New York City to see The Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show.

The girls survive but the boys are killed. Because the planets are aligned just right, original writer, director and choreographer Stuart Ross brings the boys back to earth to give one last concert. What we see is that show.

Fortunately for us, The Plaids sing much better in death than they did in life.

They all have after-school jobs, which allows some seriousness when first tenor Jinx (Guzman), who works in hardware and has frequent nosebleeds, and Frankie (Trites) who works in plumbing accessories, talk about life at home. The others, baritone Sparky (Adams, who also manages to direct along with his wife, Megan) sells dresses and bass Smudge (Sacy) sells building supplies. It all means they were four regular, non-athletic guys who found out they could sort of sing and their dream was to make it as a quartet.

Each is featured in at least one song, but for the most part, it’s the quartet singing and sounding like quartets are supposed to.

One problem: the hand-held microphones are props. The real mics are taped to each actor’s face and, with all the physical comedy and choreography, don’t always pick up the full sound. I’d rather hear the excellent voices at full volume than have them sometimes muffled by the action.

I had difficulty hearing Sacy on a couple of numbers, especially on “Sixteen Tons,” one of his featured numbers.

One more thing: On a few numbers, they strayed from the original melody and added a new route. You know, like those singers who “make it their own” and add their ending to the national anthem. Not good. The crowd attracted to Plaid doesn’t want anyone to mess with the ending of “Love is a Many Splendored Thing.” My research reveals that “musical continuity and arrangements” by James Raitt means songs and choreography and to remain just as he originally intended. So sing it the way it was written.

That’s easy to correct. What’s hard to forget is the audience participation in the Calypso number and one of the funniest three minutes in theater when The Plaids recreate the Ed Sullivan Show.

If you’re old enough to remember watching Sullivan with your folks on black and white TV, then you’ll recall Sullivan’s guests such as José Jimenez, Señor Wences, the singing nun, the trained seal and other guests that pass by in a flash.

There’s some irony here, too, because it was the Beatles who more or less brought an end to The Plaids style of music as the British Invasion of groups such as Herman’s Hermits, the Dave Clark Five and many others swept The Lettermen and their types off the charts.

But that was a long time ago.

As for today, treat yourself to an evening of good music, parent-friendly humor and relaxing fun and don’t miss “Forever Plaid.”

With stage management and light design by Cameron Barrus, costumes by Tina Barrus, sound design by G. Aaron Siler and set design by JaceSon Barrus, “Forever Plaid” is presented at 7:30 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays and 3 p.m. Saturdays through Sept. 8.

Tickets — $15 for adults, $13 for those age 65 older and high school or college students and $12 for age 12 and under — can be purchased from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday through Friday at the PTC box office at 111 S. Main St., in Cleburne or with credit card by calling 817-202-0600.