Theater Review: 'Forever Plaid' at Castle Craig Players

Review by Nancy Sasso Janis

Castle Craig Players is offering a tightly harmonic production of “Forever Plaid The Heavenly Musical Hit!” at their Meriden theater. The musical revue was written by Stuart Ross, with musical continuity supervision and arrangements by James Raitt.

The show is an homage to the close-harmony "guy groups" that were popular in the fifties. The Plaids are a quartet of clean-cut high school buddies whose dreams of recording an album ended in death in a collision with a bus filled with Catholic schoolgirls. At the beginning of the show, the group posthumously take the stage for one last chance at harmonic glory, called in the script the “biggest comeback since Lazarus.”

It is a slightly goofy and nostalgic trip back to the era of Ed Sullivan, with songs like "Three Coins in the Fountain," "Moments to Remember," and "Love is a Many-Splendored Thing." The fun numbers include "Sixteen Tons" and "Chain Gang," with an audience volunteer with "Heart and Soul" and fast paced slapstick for "Lady of Spain." I forgot to practice the right hand of “Heart and Soul” before I headed to Meriden and did not volunteer, but the woman who raised her hand at the matinee did a great job onstage.

The Castle Craig performance stars four talented gentlemen, with David Marottolo at the (onstage) piano. Castle Craig co-founder Melanie Del Sole directs them delightfully, assisted by Katie Kirkland. Nick Ciasullo led the group as music director.

Brandon G. Gregoire, who last appeared as Mike in “Zanna, Don’t” with Connecticut Theater Company, is charming in the role of Francis in his Castle Craig debut. Gregoire is a technique dance instructor and choreographer.

Jeffry Rizzo delightfully brings to life the bespectacled and slightly dim Smudge. Rizzo is a Branford science teacher and directed the middle school musical there for ten years. Stephen Koehler, who was adorable in the role of Snoopy in this venue’s “You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown,” takes on the role of Sparky, as well as the choreographer of the musical numbers.

Henry Tobelman gets extra points for portraying Jinx and performing on a melodica, accordion and the piano, when Marottolo takes a union-required break. Tobelman, who made his Castle Craig debut last year in “Into the Woods,” feels a strong connection with the harmonies of the music that he listened to while growing up. The actor is also a board member of the Haddam-based Blue Fire Stage Company.

Choreography by Koehler is light and perfectly accents the songs. Lighting by Meg Ryan works well, and there is a video produced by Ian Galligan that explains the silly premise. There are a host of fun props designed by Shaun Carroll with Jewel Theatre Company, with additional props designed by Galligan and Jennifer Del Sole.

The show’s writer dedicated this work to the “good guys; to the guys who wheeled the projector carts for the AV club; to the guys who saved their allowance to give their parents a special night on the town for their anniversary; to the guys who carried an extra handkerchief; to the guys who never went beyond first base, and if they did, they didn’t tell anyone. We Salute You!” This neatly sums up the characters in the show.

“Forever Plaid” is somewhat like a male version of “The Taffetas.” The show is rated PG and performed without an intermission and runs about 90 minutes.

Performances continue through March 17. Shows are presented cabaret style with table seating and guests are invited to bring their own food and beverages to enjoy. Doors open one hour prior to the show.

Castle Craig Players are located at 59 W Main St. in downtown Meriden. A helpful hint from the production team: “Do not put "Castle Craig" into your GPS, or it may bring you to the actual castle, high up on a mountain, and about two miles from the theater.”

Some tickets are available at: https://bit.ly/3Bg4Y3x. The Sunday matinees are already sold out.

Nancy Sasso Janis has been writing theater reviews since 2012 as a way to support local venues, and she posts well over 100 reviews each year. She became a member of the Connecticut Critics Circle in 2016. Her contributions of theatrical reviews, previews, and audition notices are posted in the Naugatuck Patch as well as the Patch sites closest to the venue. She is also a feature writer and theater reviewer for the Waterbury Republican-American newspaper. Her weekly column IN THE WINGS and theater reviews appear in the Thursday Weekend section of the newspaper.

Follow the reviewer on her Facebook pages Nancy Sasso Janis: Theatre Reviewer and Connecticut Theatre Previews and on Twitter @nancysjanis417 Check out the CCC Facebook page.