Recently, Jessica Van Zalen of the Arizona Republic interviewed Forever Plaid Director Michael Bryce.  Below is the article that followed.  We still have great seats available for this final and closing weekend.   Call the Box Office today at (480) 497-1181 or visit www.haletheatrearizona.com to buy now.  You’ll be “Plaid” you did!

(link to the entire article is at the bottom)

Throw on your saddle shoes and catch one of the remaining performances of the do-wopping ’50s musical hit “Forever Plaid” at the Hale Centre Theatre in Gilbert.

The production has been at the Hale since May, but it has been playing nationally to rave reviews since the early ’90s, telling the story of four ambitious young singers who die in a car crash in the 1950s and come back from the dead to put on their final performance.Though the storyline may sound grim, the play uses humor, director Michael Bryce said.

The four singers are played by DeVal Johnson, Devon Johnson, Stephen Erek and Nathan Turley.

The characters’ personalities and quirks, including one character’s obsessive compulsions and another’s nerves, keep the show light and fun for the audience and the actors. The show features 28 songs from singers such as Perry Como and Frank Sinatra with songs such as “Love is a Many Splendored Thing” and “Heart and Soul.”

One of Bryce’s favorite moments is during the song “Lady of Spain,” when the characters perform about 25 “Ed Sullivan Show”-style gags.

There are twirlers, jugglers, impersonations and even Topo Gigio in the three-minute song.

But the real magic is in the music. The four “Plaids” join in close harmonies with delightfully intricate choreography to accompany the classic do-wop hits, Bryce said. To capture the authenticity of the retro performances, Bryce transformed the Hale’s theater-in-the-round into a traditional stage so the actors could sing facing the audience. Also new for the Hale, this show features a band with a piano, bass and drums, instead of an orchestral track typically used in Hale productions.

Bryce, whose background is in music and who is musical director, says he enjoys that the production is all about feeling good and the music.

“When I sit in the audience, I watch the crowd,” he says. “I see people smiling and women smiling at their husbands or people saying to each other, ‘Do you remember this?’ “

Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/thingstodo/stage/articles/2010/06/25/20100625forever-plaid-hale-centre-gilbert.html#ixzz0spr5nLyc