Shout! The Mod Musical
Shout! The Mod Musical
By Phillip George, David Lowenstein, Peter Charles Morris
Direction and Choreography by Roy Alan
Musical Direction by Chris Leavy</strong>
If you ignore the wars and race riots and just focus on the music, the sexual revolution and go-go boots, the 60s were a really cool decade. The pulse began in London where music from the Beatles and Petula Clark and Dusty Springfield invited us to shed our inhibitions, dress like peacocks, and enjoy life without the morals and stodgy conservatism that won the war. “Kids these days!” our folk told us, but now we can lean back and enjoy the nostalgia.
No names are assigned to our cast, just fashionable colors. It’s like the Power Rangers are leading the show, but with nicer secondary sexual characteristics. But they get back stories and life goals: Orange-tinted Heather Alexander takes the mommy track along with stuffy advice from the booming Gwendolyn Holms who hides behind a screen like the mighty OZ. Natalie Cordone lacks friends but hides a secret. Sarah Lee-Dobbs is the easy one and dresses like the aphrodisiac M&M. Yellow Candace Neal is secretly from Cincinnati, and Kate Zaloumes likes red and looks like Velma from Scooby Doo. The least fashionable in the mod, mod world, she takes the lead and is the first to turn hippy. Go Girl!
Musically, these are the power pop hits we loved before anyone called it power pop. “Don’t Sleep in the Subway,” “London Swings,” “Son of a Preacher Man” and “These Boots are Made for Walking” nearly get the crowd dancing, and the men in the audience gets the full WPPH treatment. Ms. Alexander sits on laps, Ms. Dobbs threatened more than a few wobbly marriages, and Ms. Cordone climes all the way to the back row to polish a pair of shiny heads. These guys should have slipped her a twenty for the favor.
On stage we find stalwarts Chris Leavy and Sam Forrest along with back up keyboardist Kevin Kelly. They sound close enough to the original AM mixes that you’ll think you on an oldies station, but without all the annoying compressors. I hate to use the term “feel good” but even with the darker turns in the second act, I felt great when stepped out of this theater. Guys – try and sit on the aisles and put your date in the second seat. It’s the polite thing to do, and if you’re lucky, well, you might get lucky.
For more information on Winter Park Playhouse, please visit http://www.winterparkplayhouse.org
