‘Forever Plaid’ A Hoot And A Holler

BY TERESA CARRANO, Times-Union Lifestyles Editor

George Keating, Mark Ledbetter, Rod Thomas and Tony Humrichouser perform ‘Rags To Riches’ in ‘Forever Plaid’ now on stage at the Wagon Wheel Theatre. The four harmonize through one of the funniest shows of the 1999 summer season. Photo by Gary Nieter, Times-Union

What’s more fun than a barrel full of monkeys?

Otherworldly youngsters with more business than Microsoft singing four-part harmony on stage at the Wagon Wheel.

Roy Hine directs and stages what is probably the most enjoyable show of the season, ending a summer of wonderful productions.

“Forever Plaid” features George Keating as Francis, Mark Ledbetter as Sparky, Tony Humrichouser as Jinx and Rod Thomas as Smudge.

The Plaids are killed in an automobile accident on their way to their debut concert in 1963. They rematerialize in 1999 with a stage and an audience before them and decide the show must go on.

Their routine features songs from the ’50s and ’60s like “Three Coins In the Fountain,” “16 Tons,” “Chain Gang,” “Lady of Spain,” and “Shangri-La/Rags to Riches.”

The choreography is straight from the sock hop circuit and delivered with the perfect dose of right-out-of-high-school bravado.

Jinx gets a nose bleed after every verse; Francis is an inhalant-dependent asthmatic and Smudge can’t tell left from right.

The bit with long-handled plungers that go “pop!” in just the right places, is absolutely side-splitting.

They do a prop-laden, fast-paced “Ed Sullivan Show” spoof and a tribute to Perry Como, and go totally calypso.

So much of the show is so funny, with elbows flying and fingers snapping, with threats of an impending nosebleed, the great vocals can be overlooked.

Often your only recourse is to close your eyes and relax to give a laughter-torn belly a break.

And then the real magic of these four goofy ghosts becomes apparent. The singing is superb.

Both Ledbetter and Thomas were regulars during this summer season, giving great musical performances.

Humrichouser comes straight from a Chicago run of “Forever Plaid.” And the last time the Wagon Wheel audiences saw Keating, he didn’t sing a note.

Plaidly speaking, this group works together so seamlessly, you’d think they had been rehearsing together in the ethers for decades.

As a special treat orchestra director Sherry Klinedinst comes up to stage level with her piano with Todd Gernady on bass.

If your Labor Day plans aren’t set in stone, pick up a couple of tickets to the final show of the ’99 summer season.