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Hair Isn't the Only Thing That Towers in Beehive
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The Girls
Photo by Ken Howard
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By Rob Stevens
If you are old enough to remember the beehive hairstyles of the 1960s,
you will absolutely
love Beehive, the '60s musical that has kept the audiences buzzing at
San Diego's The
Theatre in Old Town for over two years. If you don't remember the hairstyle,
you will still have a
hoot at this fabulous recreation of the girl groups and solo artists who
dominated the charts
before and after the Beatles-led British Invasion of 1964. Think of it as sort
of an estrogen driven
Forever Plaid with better hair and costumes. There are enough golden
oldies heard here
to make anyone nostalgic for that long ago magical time when "Wishin' and
Hopin'" was just a
song, not a desire. When we all played "The Name Game," when the Motown sound
ruled the
airwaves.
Everyone is here from Patti LaBelle and the Bluebells to The Chiffons.
Connie Francis,
Lesley Gore and Brenda Lee share their boy problems and hit songs. There's a
wicked takeoff of
The Supremes with the backup singers dissing Ms. Ross. Petula Clark, Lulu, and
Dusty Springfield
all strut their go-go-booted stuff before Cher ends the "happy" part of the
decade with "The Beat
Goes On." The second act of Beehive is a series of mini-concerts
featuring right-on takes
of Tina Turner, Aretha Franklin, and Janis Joplin before Joni Mitchell and the
mellower sounds of
the Woodstock generation close out the show.
You will be dancing in your seat and singing along with number after
number. But this
isn't just another glossy nostalgic take on the 1960s. As created by Larry
Gallagher,
Beehive has more on its mind than mere hairspray. The changing social
climate, the
women's' rights movement, the anti- Vietnam war protests-- all that is sketched
into these most
entertaining 90-plus minutes. Director Paula Kalustian and choreographer Jill
K. Mesaros have
faithfully recreated the period milieu and their sharp pacing keeps the show
flowing smoothly and
swiftly. Musical director Andrew M. Ingersoll and his four-piece on-stage band
really rock with
Spencer C. Hill's superior sound design. Nick Reid's simple yet effective set
design of platters and
juke box motif works well for the performances. R. Craig Wolf's lighting design
would be the
envy of any rock concert. Mesaros' costumes are beyond divine, from poodle
skirts to mini skirts,
from glow-in-the-dark shag to flower power halter tops. Steven Anthony deserves
special
mention for "Wig Maintenance." Those "props" have a life of their own.
The cast of six is superb. Each gets a chance to shine spectacularly
on several occasions
during the show, but they also give great backup to each other. It's hard to
pick a favorite
because they are all amazingly diverse in their musical talents and their
harmonic convergences are
heavenly. In alphabetical order, the current cast is comprised of Jenn Grinels,
Laura Lamun, Emily
Mitchell, Renae Mitchell, Lisa Payton-Davis and Colleen Sudduth. Brava Diva! to
all.
Beehive, produced by Miracle Theatre Productions at The Theatre in Old Town,
4040 Twiggs
St. in San Diego. (619) 688-2494 or www.theatreinoldtown.com $25-35. Thur-Fri,
8; Sat, 5 & 8;
Sun, 3 & 7. Indefinitely.
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