‘Forever Plaid’ Opens in Harmony
The Scene: Tuesday night’s opening of “Forever Plaid” at the Canon Theater in Beverly Hills, followed by a reception across the street at the Bistro Garden. The musical is about the Plaids, one of those endearingly dopey four-man, four-dinner-jacket harmony groups of the ‘50s, and their versions of “Catch a Falling Star” and “Papa Loves Mambo” definitely evoked the Eisenhower Era--which may be why George and Barbara Bush have had the group entertain at the White House and at their vacation home in Maine.
Who Was There: “Forever Plaid” creator Stuart Ross, cast members Stan Chandler, David Engel, Larry Raben and Guy Stroman, and guests Carol Burnett, Gena Rowlands, Jean Stapleton, Art Buchwald, Angie Dickinson and Earl Holliman, Carl and Estelle Reiner, Andrea Marcovicci and the Del Rubio Triplets. There was a whole pack of cable TV personalities, including the Hollywood Kids, Mr. Pete, Victoria Looseleaf, Skip E. Lowe and Joan Quinn.
Dress Code: Plaid tie optional, of course, and tartan prints showed up everywhere from jackets to neckties to skirts. One very pregnant woman wore a black-and-white plaid maternity top.
Chow: The Bistro Garden put on an excellent buffet of curried chicken, wild rice, chicken burgers, pasta, caesar salad and more.
Favors: Cassettes of the “Forever Plaid” original cast recording. Plaid bow ties were also for sale in the lobby.
Pastimes: Checking out the mint-condition vintage ‘50s automobiles parked in front of the theater. Reminiscing about what music was like before the Beatles. Listening to the professional autograph hound out on the sidewalk, who was screaming at his assistants for being too polite and not aggressive enough.
Quoted: The Del Rubio Triplets were effusive in their praise for Plaids. “Ah, those harmonies,” sighed Milly Del Rubio. “That’s the kind of music we appreciate. It’s just wonderful to hear it again.” (The Del Rubios can be heard on their new album, “Whip It,” where they apply their own lush three-part harmonies to “Chain of Fools” and “Satisfaction.”)
Irony: “Forever Plaid” opened on Fat Tuesday, the final night of Mardi Gras in New Orleans. Sitting in a theater in Beverly Hills, listening to four guys in plaid tuxedos perform “Heart and Soul”--that has to be as anti-Mardi Gras an experience as one can get.
