Back in Plaid



Gina Lupi is so proud of the work she’s done with “Forever Plaid” that she keeps on directing it.

It all started about two years when Lupi directed the musical at the Strand Center for the Arts in Lakewood. She and the cast and crew enjoyed the experience so much that they did it two more times. Now they’re bringing the show to Kelsey Theatre at Mercer County Community College for an Aug. 19-28 run.

On the surface, “Forever Plaid” looks like a fairly simple show. It features just four actors, doesn’t need elaborate sets and its only costumes are four plaid-jacketed tuxedoes. It’s also a crowd-pleasing show filled with familiar songs and lots of laughs.

“But it’s a very difficult show to do, to cast and get just right in terms of the music,” Lupi says. “It’s very, very tight four-part harmony. It took such a long time to learn, the guys had to work and work and work until they got just the right sound and just the right blend, that by the time we got it up on its feet, it was a shame to do it for just two weeks and say goodbye and put it away.”

Lupi is once again collaborating with musical director Anthony Didia and three of the four cast members from the previous productions of “Forever Plaid.” Those would be Jan Topoleski (who’s also the show’s producer) as Frankie, Joseph Ficarra as Smudge and Matthew Rae as Jinx. New this time around is Joseph Zachowski as Sparky, because the actor who usually plays the part had to fulfill another commitment.

And while Zachowski is new to this production, he’s been playing Sparky for another group for a decade.

“It was quite problematic for us because now we had to find one guy to fit in with these three other guys who have been working together for three years,” Lupi says. “We really lucked out, this guy came in and fit like a glove with our guys.”

The show was written by Stuart Ross and premiered in 1990. It’s about a singing group from the 1960s called the Plaids who die in a car crash just when it seems they are about to hit it big. When they get to heaven, they’re given one last chance to perform, which leads to performances of classic songs like “Lady of Spain,” “Three Coins in a Fountain,” “Shangri-La” and others.

“It’s all very familiar music but it’s presented in a different way because of the four-part harmony,” Lupi says.

And if that plane crash seems dramatic, rest assured that this is a light, funny and family-friendly show.

“I always say to people that this is men’s answer to ‘Nunsense,’” Lupi says. “It’s just a crazy, unbelievable story.”

A highlight of the show Lupi points out is a tribute to “The Ed Sullivan Show,” which happens at a rapid pace and features nods to Sullivan-like acts such as performing seals, plate spinners and stars like Judy Garland.

“It’s all there and it’s lightning-fast,” Lupi says.

It’s also, according to the director, exhausting for the actors.

“After that number, they all collapse. Literally.”

The creative team behind this “Forever Plaid” has pretty much stayed the same but Lupi says that show evolves with each staging, depending on the venue. It’s a sort of director’s dream to be able to implement new ideas.

And she’s also taken suggestions from Zachowski, the newest member of the Plaids.

“He’s brought some funny bits that we didn’t do before,” she says. “And he’s seen some of the stuff we’ve done and been like, ‘Wow that’s really funny, we didn’t do that in our production.’ So it’s nice to see a show keep growing and add some new stuff and breathe some fresh air into it.”

Forever Plaid is at Kelsey Theatre on the campus of Mercer County Community College, 1200 Old Trenton Road, Aug. 19-28. Tickets cost $16, $14 seniors, $12 students/children. For tickets and information, go to www.KelseyTheatre.net or call 609-570-3333.