Newton’s Roxy Theatre will be turning shades of plaid this weekend, as the Newton Theatre Company presents the four-person play Plaid Tidings: A Holiday Musical.
Grace Norman, director of the show, said the show is based on the Broadway musical “Forever Plaid,” which is about a singing quartet who were tragically killed by a bus of Catholic schoolgirls who were on their way to watch the Beatles’ appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show.
Miraculously, the men return to earth to get their opportunity to make it big.
Norman said the show features Smudge, a left-handed singer played by Victor Coker; Spanky played by Joe Pugh; Frankie played by Aaron Vega; and Jinx played by Jonathan Thorne.
Also in the play are Norman and Ryan Clark, who are extras who help the other four actors during the show.
Norman said it’s a hilarious show that features some audience participation. The group Forever Plaid also receives calls from Perry Como and Rosemary Clooney along the way.
“If you’re not laughing at some point during the show, you might be dead,” Norman said. “It’s been a lot of fun to put on, and it’s also been a lot of hard work. The guys have some pretty close harmony, so we’ve been rehearsing at least three times a week and more since the show as the show has approached. We hope everyone comes out and has a blast during the show.”
The first time this show was produced in Newton was 2005 and featured Coker and Pugh as cast members and Aaron Vega as a bass guitar player. Norman said they tried to revive the show in 2008, but it was delayed due to the illness and death of Billy Ray Walters, who was one of the original cast members.
“It’s great to have two of the original cast members back along with Aaron,” Norman said. “We hope everyone will come out and enjoy the show.”
Tickets for Plaid Tidings can be purchased at Kaleidoscopes, Dezignz by Nikki and BankFirst and are $10 for adults and $5 for children. Performances are Saturday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m.
