On the Town: Return of ‘Forever Plaid’ fills the seats at Glendale Centre Theatre
A theater party of Glendale residents added “Forever Plaid” to their subscription series at the Glendale Centre Theatre. A passel of out-of-town relations joined them.
Jane McVay, ticket organizer extraordinaire, was joined last week by her mother, Burbank resident Lillian Giese; her sister Lynne Anderberg, visiting from Kooskia, Idaho; and her niece Rachel Andrews, also from Kooskia.
Also along were McVay’s son Joshua McVay and his friend Anika Wills, both visiting from Lubbock, Texas. More in the party were Glendale resident Cheryl Hanna and Burbank resident Nancy Lark.
Back by popular demand, the four male singers of “Forever Plaid” are a hit every time they grace the theater’s stage. But this was the first time the musical was staged in the round. So the staging and production values were tops.
The fantasy story presents the Forever four putting on the show they never got to do in life after a sudden car accident killed them. Don’t worry — the plot gets sunnier. Representing the four-part male groups of the 1950s, these guys harmonized with the best of them in scenes representing their rebirth. Well-recognized songs ranged from “Three Coins in the Fountain” to “Love is a Many Splendored Thing.”
Each of the 395 seats was filled with audience members who applauded with more vigor after every number. They felt lucky to get a ticket for the short 10-performance run.
After the show, theater-goers had the chance to rub elbows with members of the cast. Danny Michaels, Daniel Thomas, Kurt Cereske and Alex Camp appeared tireless and welcomed their fans. Audience members even got to pose with a life-sized image of the four.
Next on the theatre’s schedule is “Hairspray” running Aug. 24 through Oct. 12.
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Summer is the season for garden parties. One of the best this year was held at the Glendale home of Kathy and Kent Lee. The potluck salad bar brought out the top 50 cooks in their Kenneth Road neighborhood on last Thursday.
Glendale residents enjoying the balmy weather in the Lees’ backyard included Cary Corrigan, Cathie Price, Tish Mayer, Kristine Gunnell, Megan Flake, Angela Prieto, Jerry Shanklin, Lois Frost, Linda Sheffield, Maria Brown, June Alvord, Mary Solomon, Sheila Anderson, Micei Ige, toting her homemade sushi and Amanda Duvall with 1-year old daughter, Maddison Duvall. Carolyn Crane put in a brief appearance.
All the women are members of the Glendale Second Ward Relief Society of the Church of Latter-Day Saints. The society’s primary “homemaking” activity for the past several years has been to make quilts using donated fabric, featuring Warner Bros. cartoon characters.
Lead chairperson is Glendale resident Jane McVay. The quilts’ themes represent major holidays such as Valentine’s Day, Halloween and Christmas. Members have delivered hundreds of quilts to Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.
These quilts add color to the young patients’ hospital rooms and are gifts for each child to take home after their hospital stays.
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RUTH SOWBY may be reached at ruthasowby@gmail.com.