What: The Barter Theatre’s production of Forever Plaid
When: Saturday (Feb. 5) at 7:30pm
Where: Cascade Theatre, Redding
Don’t miss a celebration of the music of the ’50s as JPR and the Cascade Theatre present the Barter Theatre’s production of “Forever Plaid.” It’s the story of Jinx, Sparky, Francis and Smudge, four young male singers who landed their first big gig at an airport bar in 1964. But on the way to pick up their tuxes, they are slammed broadside by a busload of Catholic teenagers. That’s where the fun-filled story begins, as the boys are given a second chance to fulfill their dreams and perform the concert that never was. Singing in 1950s four-part harmony, “Forever Plaid” showcases the upbeat music made popular in the ’50s by artists and groups such as Perry Como, Eddie Fisher, The Four Lads and The Ames Brothers and includes such hits as “Three Coins in the Fountain,” “Sixteen Tons,” “Chain Gang,” “Heart and Soul” and “Love Is a Many Splendored Thing.”
The Barter Theatre was founded during the Depression by an enterprising young actor named Robert Porterfield. He and his fellow actors found themselves out of work and hungry in New York City. Porterfield contrasted that to the abundance of food, but lack of live theatre, around his home region in Southwest Virginia. He returned to Washington County with an extraordinary proposition: bartering produce from the farms and gardens of the area to gain admission to see a play. The Barter Theatre opened its doors on June 10, 1933 proclaiming, “With vegetables you cannot sell, you can buy a good laugh.” Playwrights including Noel Coward, Tennessee Williams and Thornton Wilder accepted Virginia ham as payment for royalties. An exception was George Bernard Shaw, a vegetarian, who bartered the rights to his plays for spinach.
Today, the Barter Theatre is the longest running professional Equity theatre in the nation and is a place where many actors have performed before going on to achieve fame and fortune. The most recognized of these alumni include Gregory Peck, Patricia Neal, Ernest Borgnine, Hume Cronyn, Ned Beatty, Gary Collins, Larry Linville and Kevin Spacey.
The Barter Theatre’s production of “Forever Plaid” had been called “Letter perfect! Sweet, funny, and thoroughly amusing!” by the New York Times.
Tickets for Forever Plaid can be purchased online at www.cascadetheatre.org or by phone at 530-243-8877. The Cascade Theatre/Jefferson Public Radio Performance Series is sponsored by US Bank.
-from press release
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