Search - James Raitt, David Kancsar, Dale Sandish :: Forever Plaid: 15th Anniversary Recording

Created Off Broadway in 1990, this small-scale show has had a surprisingly enduring run through the years--forget about Celine Dion­style excess. Forever Plaid has proved you can have an enduring Vegas hit with a cast of unknowns and a simple piano-and-bass backing. The premise is that the members of the vocal quartet Forever Plaid died in a crash in the early 1960s, but somehow came back to life just long enough to record their definitive album?this one. At times sounding like the male equivalent of the Andrews Sisters, in this 15th-anniversary recording Frankie, Smudge, Jinx, and Sparky perform a repertoire that allows them to cover the classics, from doo-wop excursions (Sam Cooke's "Chain Gang") to a calypso medley that of course includes "Day-O," from swing ("Undecided") to traditional numbers ("Scotland the Brave"). Sure, it's all a bit Milquetoast, but the show will delight those with a taste for vocal arrangements, along with those who think Cats is a little too risqué. --Elisabeth Vincentelli