Suds: A review


South Boston News

April: writer T.S. Eliot called it “the cruelest month” in his epic poem “The Waste Land”, but the month has it’s compensations. There are daffodils, spring fashions, Earth Day, and, for residents of Halifax County and surrounding environs, the perfect spring musical from Halifax County Little Theater. Past seasons have served up such delightful crowd pleasers as “Beehive” and “Smoky Joe’s Café”, both courtesy of preeminent musical director Victoria Thomasson. This year Ms Thomasson brings forth another song filled treat in the form of “Suds: The Rockin’ 60’s Musical”.

“Suds” was created in 1994 by a team of four friends looking for a female-oriented equivalent to the national hit “Forever Plaid” (another past musical selection for HCLT) which had tapped into the fever across the U.S for pop culture of the 1960’s. Like the male-biased earlier work, “Suds” was conceived to have just enough plot to hold the show together while allowing for song after song to be performed. In the case of “Suds”, song after song meant a yield of some fifty musical numbers taken from artists as diverse as The Beatles, Aretha Franklin, Connie Francis and James Brown! The resulting show was a smash in national touring productions in major venues across the country and, thereafter, as a favorite of regional and community theaters, such as Halifax County’s own Little Theater.

The story revolves around Cindy (Sherry Link), a basically cheerful little lady who runs the Fluff and Fold Laundromat sometime during the 1960’s. It’s Cindy’s birthday and she’s so happy until Mr. Postman (Kenny Carr, who also shows up as five other characters) brings her a raft of bad news: a severe letter from the I.R.S, another informing her of the death of her cat, and, the crowing blow, a kiss-off from her pen-pal “boyfriend”. It’s all too much and poor Cindy takes a sort of stab at ending it all (suffice to say that her method involves a washing machine and a pair of pedal pushers). Into this unhappy situation comes, not one, but two guardian angels, worldly wise and brassy redhead Marge (Gayle Carden-Hudert) and sweetly blonde and inexperienced neophyte DeeDee (Allison Streeter). Together the pair, with a little help from a surprising group of visitors and Cindy herself, solve all problems the melodious way – by singing Cindy to love and happiness.

Why tamper with something that works? Thomasson has operated along these same lines many times and her method always works. Why does it work? Simple: she has the intuition to know what her public wants and the experience to give it to them in the best manner possible. That involves choosing the right material and best, most appropriate people to aid her in delivering that material. When the recipe is a good one made with quality ingredients how can it go wrong? Well, this one is a good recipe and the ingredients are top quality.

This is not an acting show per se, but the four players, all except Streeter being Little Theater novices, have wonderfully engaging stage personas and, more to the point with this piece, strong and sonically pleasing singing voices. Be it solos, duets, trios or ensemble, the cast makes each number a joy in and of itself, which adds up to the whole being a great pleasure. However, even these fine voices would be limited without good music compliment and that is provided by a group known in this incarnation as The Heavenly House Band, under the direction of the invaluable Bob Thomasson. Each and every member is an artist in his or her own right and the they are terrific as a group.

Aiding the cast to get into their personas are some of the best and loveliest costumes ever to grace a Little Theater production, courtesy of the renowned Judith Miller, a professional designer who has worked in many arenas, including motion pictures. Her clever and colorful work enhances the whole production and compliments the equally clever and colorful set design and lighting.

The show comes to a sort of message at the end but the real message is just this: music is wonderful and makes people feel good and isn’t that something to cheer about? When it comes in a package this good, it most certainly is!

“Suds: The Rockin’ 60’s Musical” will continue it’s run at The Prizery on April 27 and 30 and May 1, 4, 7 and 8 at 8 p.m. and May 2 and 9 at 3 p.m. Be there or be square.

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