Review - Theatre - Beehive - the 60's Musical

 

Cher and I attended the Country Dinner Playhouse production of “Beehive – The 60’s Musical” to celebrate our one year anniversary. As it turns out, it was opening night. The playhouse is an arena around which the audience is seated. The food was good though certainly not anything to rave about and the service was terrible. The table next to us however, got some of the best service I’ve ever witnessed. Our waitress seemed more interested in flirting with the single customers and other waiters than taking care of her customers.

For those of you who don’t know, Beehive is essentially a thinly guised musical review of the 1960’s. It showcases the lives of 4 girls growing up in the 60’s and uses the music of the popular female performers of that era to carry the story. The music is primarily Pop and R&B. It features songs like “My Boyfriend’s Back” by the Angels, “Remember” by the Shangri-Las, “It’s My Party” by Leslie Gore, “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” by Brenda Lee, and “The Beat Goes On” by Sonny and Cher.

The most memorable performances were that of Mary Louise Lee and Lisa Payton. Both women’s talent was palpable. The other performances were good though not memorable. The thing that struck me about all of the actors was that they were all much too old to be playing teenage girls. I suspect that this is due, in part, to the fact that the playhouse is an equity house. I theorize that young, well developed talent is in short supply and therefore generally goes first to those theater companies with deep pockets. This leaves older, more experienced actors without work and, as such able to work in those productions with lower budgets.

We enjoyed the show. It was certainly not up to the level one would expect of one of the major theaters in town but it was certainly better than average. Lisa Payton’s portrayal of Tina Turner is the highlight of the show. It is downright impressive. Some of the songs that follow are less well suited to the people performing them and the finale seemed flat and unrecognizable given the context of the other songs.

RCS