Although anyone can enjoy “The
Bikinis,” the “musical beach party” revue currently on the boards at Long Wharf
Theatre, if you are of a certain age – which means you grew up watching “Howdy
Doody,” graduated to “The Mickey Mouse Club” and remember the Sunday evening
when The Beatles appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show – then this light-as-air
pastiche of songs from the 60s, 70s and early 80s is right up your alley.
The frame for the presentation of
over 30 songs from the multi-decade era is mere froth: a one-hit girl group
gathers on the Jersey shore 30 years after
their 15 minutes of fame to save a seaside trailer park from the clutches of a
developer by giving a benefit contest. Residents have been offered a tidy sum
to sell out – should they cave or hold fast? None of this is taken very
seriously until the show’s final moments when, suddenly, the audience is asked
to care about the decision – which it obviously doesn’t. It’s there for the
songs, not the soap-opera drama. This is the only false note in what is
otherwise a highly enjoyable evening of summertime diversion.
Yes, it’s the songs that drive the
show, and they are performed under Ray Roderick’s direction (he also
choreographed) by a fine foursome of experienced, talented actresses: Valerie
Fagan, Regina Levert, Karyn Quackenbush and Lori Hammel. The trip down Memory Lane begins
with “It’s in His Kiss,” quickly followed by that “Yellow Polka Dot Bikini.”
The quartet has the style and tone of these songs down pat, and the banter
between the four (until the finale) is frolicsome rather than intrusive. The
first act covers what in retrospect seems the innocence of the pre-Nam era,
including the hormonally-charge movies that pandered to teen lust, films such
as “Beach Blanket Bingo” – introduction of the film allows for Annette and
Tommy (if you don’t know, don’t ask), to make an appearance, as well as Nancy
Sinatra in her boots and a campy “Secret Agent Man.”
The second act brings us forward to
the late 60s and 70s, a time stained by the Viet Nam war and the protests it
engendered. The mood turns reflective with the first song, a take on the Mommas
and the Poppas’ “Time of the Season” accompanied by a montage of photos of
young men serving in Viet
Nam . It’s presented as a love song and a
lament, and as the song unfolds and the images appear on the scrim above the
singers you can feel the memories – often bittersweet, certainly conflicted –
rising from the audience to fill the air. It is a palpably effective moment for
those who lived through the era and either fought…or protested…or did both.
All things pass, all things change,
and before you know it the conflict of the Viet Nam era is replaced by the
hedonism of the days of Disco, and it is here that the quartet really comes
into its own with a series of disco numbers that, you sense, get aged hearts
beating just a bit faster and arthritic toes a-tapping. There’s a great build
here, starting with the country and western “When Will I Be Loved” that segues
into “Last Dance,” followed by “I’m Every Woman, “ “I Will Survive” and finally
a no-holds-barred “It’s Raining Men.”
And then the show turns serious –
or at least takes itself seriously – and the heat and electricity that has been
building simply dissolves as time is wasted dealing with ownership of property
and the responsibility to be true to your roots – it’s so counter-intuitive to
what the evening is all about that the audience, that was moments ago revved up,
slouches back into its seats. Strong recommendation: cut the melodrama and take
advantage of where the audience wants to go. The second act builds and builds,
and then spends all of its energy on something the audience could care squat
about…and since it happens late in the show, well, no time to make up for
mistakes.
The finale may leave the audience
feeling a bit cheated, but on reflection, most of the evening is entertaining
and just what is billed – a frolic and an exercise in “remember when.” If you
are of a certain age, gather those of your friends who have survived the
decades…and divorce…and downsizing…and empty-nesting…and both male and female
menopause…and go out to dinner…have a couple of glasses of wine…and then go see
“The Bikinis”…and let the memories flow.
“The Bikinis” plays through July
27. For tickets or more information call 203-787-4282 or go to www.longwharf.org.
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