Forever Plaid - 20th Anniversary Cinecast

A few weeks back, I wrote a rather dismissive post about the one-night-only 20th anniversary cinecast of Forever Plaid, which took place last night. I expressed skepticism as to whether this was the show that the movie-going public was really crying out to see. In response, the folks at NCM Fathom contacted me, inviting me to see the show and judge for myself.

Well, I went. And there were 17 people in the theater, including me and three friends, who had received comps. And this is in Boston, which is about as receptive a locale as any for a show such as this. I get the feeling that there were a lot of empty or near-empty theaters among the 500 or so that were part of the simulcast.

I had never seen Forever Plaid before; it just never really caught my interest. And now that I've seen the show, it still doesn't. On paper, the premise is promising: a four-part close-harmony men's group dies in a car crash, run off the road by a bus filled with Catholic school girls. But for some inscrutable reason, they're granted passage back to earth for one final performance, I guess to earn their place in heaven or some such reason. It really wasn't clear, and I'm frankly not moved to do any research to find out.

Overall, I found the show, created and directed by one Stuart Ross, to be a yawn-fest, repetitious beyond the limits of my patience. I guess I'm just not a fan of this category of song (e.g. "Three Coins in the Fountain," "Love is a Many Splendored Thing," "Matilda," "Rags to Riches" etc.) Perhaps if I were, I would have been more engaged. I was momentarily entertained during the sequence during which the Plaids pay tribute to "The Ed Sullivan Show," which contained some very fun moments, props, and performances. Original Plaid cast members Stan Chandler (Jinx) and David Engel (Smudge) were on hand, joined by Larry Raben (Sparky) and Daniel Reicherd (Frankie). A very talented foursome to be sure, but I found myself wishing I were seeing them in a show that gave them a chance to show what they can really do.

The cinecast included a pre-taped performance of the show, which again I found mostly dull, followed by a live segment featuring the cast members, with special guest star Carol Channing. During the after-show, the Plaids performed some doo-wop versions of "Memory" and "The Ballad of Sweeney Todd" that I actually found quite enjoyable. Then, my beloved Carol came onstage and sang "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend," and even at the advanced age of 88, my girl Carol was an absolute delight. If they release the Forever Plaid movie on DVD, I'm hoping that they'll include the after-concert in the DVD extras. Because, although I can't imagine being in any hurry to watch Forver Plaid again, I would like to get another viewing of the doo-wop showtunes and Carol's star turn.

So, the night was not a total loss. Plus, I got to meet and spend time with my fellow bloggers Scot and Michael Colford (see their respective takes on Forbidden Plaid here and here) as well as my BGMC buddy Victor R-R-R-R-R-Ramos. But it makes me wonder what I'm going to think of The Marvelous Wonderettes when I see it next week, which strikes me as pretty darned similar to Forever Plaid. Oh well. It's all a part of my journey to offer as full a chronicle as possible of modern musical theater. The things I do for you, dear reader.

Comments

[Alicia]

When I heard about THE MARVELOUS WONDERETTES I thought, "Oh, it's FOREVER PLAID for women!" Some friends have recommended to me, so maybe it will be a pleasant surprise for you. Of course, I don't know where they weigh in on FOREVER PLAID...

Sorry your premonitions proved true on this one. Rest assured, we, your dear readers, do appreciate the lengths to which you will go for us. :)

[Geoff]

Just a few random comments on the broadcast:

1. What was up with the sound synchronization? When was this film made, 1929?

2. I’m certainly opposed to age discrimination, but aren’t some of the Plaids just a little bit long in the tooth?

3. Cheesy special effects I can do without (did love the sing-along lyrics complete with bouncing head and increasingly small type).

4. Not happy with the extra instruments added for “sweetening” as we got into the later sections of the show. “Love Is a Many Splendored Thing” was practically swallowed alive by unnecessary orchestration.

5. After show was weird (but with far better sound).

6. “Memory” and especially “The Ballad of Sweeney Todd” were hilarious. Is it just me, or did a not so subtle gay, campy subtext inform these performances.

7. Speaking of campy gay subtext, Carol Channing? Why Carol Channing? Does anybody need or want to hear an 88-year-old Channing stumble through “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend?” I thought this part of the broadcast was rather pathetic and sad.

All in all, I was hoping for more of an event. I would love to see theatre simulcasts in the future: something along the lines of how MTV did Legally Blonde. I don’t think this broadcast of Plaid is going to help the cause.

[ccaggiano]

Geoff, my take on your take:

1. Sound synchronization: Didn't notice any problems at my theater. Perhaps it was a local issue?

2. Plaids long in the tooth: Not sure I cared much. I don't get the sense that the Plaids need to be of any particular age.

3. Cheesy special effects: Hear, hear. As my friend Scot Colford (www.justgiblets.com) remarked, it looked as though someone suddenly discovered Adobe After Effects or iMovie. Lame-o-rama.

4. Extra instruments: Didn't bother me. Certainly not as noticeable as, say, a Barbra Streisand album. Oy gevalt.

5. After show: Was my favorite part.

6. Gay subtext. He-LLO!

7. Carol Channing: "Does anybody need or want to hear an 88-year-old Channing stumble through “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend?” Yes, Geoff. Me. I could have watched Carol all night. In fact, I would have preferred it.

On the whole, though, we seem to agree on the entertainment quality of the cinecast. Or lack thereof.

Regards,

--cc

[Scot Colford]

Very nice recap, Geoff. I'm with you on everything except for #7. I, like Chris, thought she was the highlight of the evening!

The sync wasn't too bad in our theater, but this is the insidious side of digital projection. While major film exhibitioners, like Lowes, AMC, and good-ole Mark Cuban's Landmark Cinemas make the switch, they try to tell audiences that it's a *good* thing that they are streaming video over hundreds of miles. Sure, you don't get scratchy film prints, but you *do* get issues like poor synchronization, digital artifacts, and a loss of quality not possible with analog media.

So, from my soapbox I say, please patronize your local independent cinemas whenever possible to help preserve the exhibition of celluloid film for the future.

[Chad]

I'll preface my comments with this: I love the show "Forever Plaid". I've seen 3 productions and have been in 3 productions. I wanted to love the movie, but it doesn't serve as more than a bit of a souvenir to take home and watch after you've seen the actual show. I hadn't heard anything about the broadcast until I strayed upon a blog on playbill.com that mentioned the "event". In the same way that Plaid tried to come to town in an actual production marching in only on its name and the expected word of mouth, the sparse audience was a real let down. The show itself is not the deepest, but it has a lot of heart, and can be a hell of a good time, provided you get butts in the seats. The sound the guys make has to be great, but it's the bits, the choreography and the heart that really make the night.

I had crazy sound sync issues in my theater as well. Frustrated the hell outta me. That and the lighting. Not sure -how- they sent the broadcast, but I felt like I was watching a video camera filming a movie screen. All the shots that showed the audience were were unviewable unless there was a stray spot hitting a person in the audience. There were enough technical glitches or failings that I would watch a DVD version just to get a slightly cleaner version of what they tried to do.

The special effects would have needed to go farther for me to catch that "Hey, we're in the AV club and we edited this ourselves", otherwise I'm left with so many questions of "Why?" As it was, my jaw dropped at superimposed plungers. "wtf was that?!"

The show loses a ton of immediacy and intimacy in the movie setting, a fact they had to make up for with all sorts of camera angles, "effects", etc. To someone who doesn't like "Scotland the Brave" and/or doesn't feel connected to the guys singing it, for example, they're left with backgrounds of sheet music. If there's anyone listening about requests for a DVD, I'd like to see some 1-2 angle camera view that left out all the extra effects and just gave me the show.

3 of the plaids were definitely older, having been in the original cast, but I can't say that it bugged me. While they were killed young, I think you could justify almost any age, though I think you should try to keep the age uniform. Frankie was borderline too young.

It's very difficult to transfer the sort of urgency and heart that the show can have onto the big screen. This attempt, in my opinion, fell short.

The addition of Carol Channing boggled, not to mention scared me. Yeah, love her to death, but where is the connection?! Her calling Sparky Sparkle gave a good chuckle, and it's fun to see her, but I'd have preferred a cameo and/or better tie-in. Give me more plaid renditions of songs. That proved the most solidly enjoyable part of the evening.

Dear lord... too much rambling from me.

[Byrne]

I attended the screening here in NYC, and the theatre was packed. Good crowd too, all in all. No sync problems, but the picture froze several times.