The Hesston College Theatre and Music departments will present four performances of the musical Forever Plaid at 7 p.m., Nov. 20, 21, 27, and 28 in the Northlawn Studio Theater on the Hesston College campus. Filled with amazing songs and touching characters, this show will be enjoyed by all audiences.
Forever Plaid is a critically acclaimed musical comedy revue about the close-harmony “guy groups” that reached the height of their popularity during the 1950s. Personifying the clean-cut genre are The Plaids. This quartet of high-school chums’ earnest dreams of recording an album ended in death in a collision with a bus filled with Catholic schoolgirls on their way to see the Beatles’ American debut on The Ed Sullivan Show. The play begins with the Plaids returning from the afterlife for one final chance at musical glory.
Theatre department chair Megan Tyner looks forward to full houses during the Thanksgiving weekend shows. “We always have good crowds at Thanksgiving with all the parents, families, and recent alumni on campus for the weekend,” Tyner said. “My hope is that we will have strong local sales too, especially for this first weekend.
“This show is great entertainment,” Tyner added. “It’s a charming show that can be fun for a family evening or date night. It’s a lot of fun.”
The score consists of musical favorites, including: “Three Coins in the Fountain,” “Undecided,” “Gotta Be This or That,” “Moments to Remember,” “Crazy ‘Bout Ya, Baby,” “No, Not Much,” “Sixteen Tons,” “Chain Gang,” “Perfidia,” “Cry,” “Heart and Soul,” “Lady of Spain,” “Scotland the Brave,” “Shangri-La,” “Rags to Riches,” “Love is a Many-Splendored Thing” and a surprising rendition of the Beatles, “She Loves You.”
The cast features sophomores Sam Kauffman of Minot, N.D., as Smudge; John Murray of Hesston, Kan., as Sparky; Nathan Snyder of Fruita, Colo., as Frankie; and freshman Solomon Rudy of Manheim, Pa., as Jinx. Rachel Jantzi of Newton directs the show along with Musical Director Ken Rodgers of the college’s Music department and Technical Director Doug Peters of the Theatre and Campus Facilities departments. Sophomore Naomi Nussbaum of Happy Valley, Ore. is stage manager.
Admission is $11 adults; $9 students and seniors; free for children five and younger. $1 discount if you bring in a canned food item for local food pantries. Purchase tickets in person (at the Hesston College Bookstore), by phone (620-327-8105 or toll-free at 866-437-7866 ext. 8105), or online ( www.hesstonbooks.com ).Tickets also available at the door one half hour before show time (subject to availability). Seating is limited.