‘Thank God!’ Finds Whispers in an Uncomfortable Mix

On the day jazz singer Phyllis Hyman was scheduled to appear with the Whispers at the Apollo Theatre in New York last year, she was found dead in her apartment, an apparent suicide.

Writer-director Loren Dean Harper has shoehorned a fictionalized version of this incident into a gospel-soul musical, “Thank God! The Beat Goes On,” starring the Whispers, with Alyson Williams as Hyman. Now at the Wiltern Theatre, it’s an uncomfortable fit.

The evening does serve as a chance for fans of the Whispers to see the vocal quartet, now in its 31st year. It’s refreshing that a group fronted by middle-aged twins Walter and Wallace Scott, who hardly fit the romantic stereotype, still sets off rapturous devotion from members of the audience.

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However, as a Whispers concert, “Thank God!” is less than satisfying. The group does only a sampling of its hits, which are frequently interrupted by the confusing book. And, despite several fictional sound checks within the story, the show’s sound quality is muddy and over-miked, so the music isn’t heard to its best advantage. This affects other numbers as well--popular standards and originals by Harper.

The Whispers part of the plot is, well, whispery. In more than three hours, we learn virtually nothing about how the Whispers got together, what caused two former members to exit, what the Whispers’ personal lives are like. The narrative visits their early years in only one brief audition scene, when they’re played by four younger guys who then resume their roles in the chorus.

The Phyllis Hyman part of the plot is even more perfunctory. What troubled her so? A couple of sketchy scenes about unhappy romance--involving different men who appear out of nowhere and then disappear--don’t suffice. The second of these scenes becomes a self-indulgent gospel solo for the man, while Hyman is virtually forgotten. There is no mention of her upbringing, of reports that she had been diagnosed as a manic depressive, or anything else that might shed some light.

Instead of focusing on the key characters, Harper’s script roams far afield with sideshows. A neighborhood pie-seller, totally insignificant in the story, inexplicably sings the first big solo. A transvestite has his eye on one of the Whispers, who at first doesn’t realize that “she” is a he; but then the drag queen repents and dons male attire after one quick, evangelical chat with the theater janitor.

A promoter’s scheme to swindle the artists is easily revealed (by the same busybody janitor) but not blocked--so why do the Whispers then go on and perform? Meanwhile, the promoter’s unhappy wife meets one of the Whispers, who immediately pledges eternal friendship after only a few moments of knowing her.

The clutter goes on.

* “Thank God! The Beat Goes On,” Wiltern Theatre, 3790 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles. Tonight-Saturday, 8 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, 3 p.m.; Sunday, 7:30 p.m. $22.50-$35. (213) 480-3232 or (714) 740-2000. Running time: 3 hours, 10 minutes.