Heartland Festival musical opens

Originally appeared in the Telegraph Herald
Reprinted with permission

"Forever Plaid," musical

Performing group: Heartland Festival

Times/dates: 7:30 p.m. Friday, June 26; 2:30 p.m. Sunday, June 28; 2 p.m. Sunday, July 5; 7:30 p.m. Saturday, July 11 and Thursday, July 16; 2 p.m. Sunday, July 19; 7:30 p.m. July 23, Saturday, July 25 and Tuesday, July 28; 2 p.m. Saturday Aug. 1; and 7:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 7.

Site: Center for the Arts, University of Wisconsin-Platteville

Cost: $18 for adults and $9 for children younger than 18. Tickets are available through the University Box Office at 608-342-1298 or http://tickets.uwplatt.edu

synopsis

What it's about: Four eager, young singers are killed in a car crash in the 1950s, on the way to their first big concert. They are miraculously revived for one more performance. Each audience has the honor of being their "last" audience.

The performers: Paul Helm, Jason Slattery, John Hassig and Ryan Odorizzi.

The director: Vivienne Elborne

Quotes from the director:

* "It's a lot of close-harmony singing of lots of old songs that the older generation will know and the younger generation should get to know, because it's such good music."

* "This show has run forever in New York and Las Vegas and Chicago. I've done several productions. One interesting thing about audiences is that you find so many repeats. They come back again and again, because no two shows are alike. It develops sort of a cult following."

* "It's my first opportunity to work with John (Hassig, Heartland Festival director and director of the Center for the Arts). I don't know where he gets the time to do it. I've worked with Paul and Jason before (in previous Heartland Festivals). It's the first time with Ryan. These four seem to know it well. We're in for a good run."

Sandye Voight