By Ericka Pultorak | Observer Contributor
“Beehive, The 60’s Musical” premiered on Oct. 10 at MWCC by the Theatre at the Mount. It was directed and choreographed by Trish Aponte. Throughout the entire musical, maybe ten sentences were spoken. Watching them dance around song after song with practically no breaks would make anybody’s feet hurt. Sitting in the front row, I could feel waves of energy rolling off the stage. The audience received a high energy performance, as well as a detailed timeline of the 60’s.
The play opened by projecting clips and pictures of significant events during the 60’s. They had the first man on the moon, pictures from Woodstock, and even Elvis Presley. From there the play went into hyper-drive. Nine women sang and danced all over the stage. They introduced each of themselves by playing “The Name Game.” From there they sang “Sweet Talkin’ Guy”, “My Boyfriend’s Back”, “One Fine Day” and “It’s My Party.” Through all these songs we get to know each woman’s story a little more intimately.
The play itself was well organized. The play progresses through the events that took place as the 60’s came and went. Their costumes, done by Amanda Feeley, were fashioned after the “current” style. The audience saw go-go boots, Tina Turner dresses, and the classic flower child look.
I also liked how they took moments to honor the more difficult parts of the 60’s like President Kennedy’s assassination, the Vietnam War, and some of the prejudices that we unfortunately still have today. They presented all these things from a teenage girl’s point of view. This was interesting because many of the girls that are teens/young adults now can closely relate to them based on how we feel about the Iraq war. Both wars have involved a lot of confusion and hatred of people we don’t know. At this point in the play they sang: “The Beat Goes On” which was perfect.
Had I been a “teeny bopper” in the 60’s, I would have thought this play was hilarious. Considering I was not, I had a harder time identifying with their pain and excitement. However, despite my lack of 60’s experience, the way they presented the play did give me the opportunity to feel what was felt at that time. If those songs were a part of my childhood, I would have been put into a wonderfully euphoric state. Overall, I enjoyed and appreciated the hard work put into this play for our entertainment.
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