REVIEW: “Plaid Tidings” Holiday Show at The Empress Theatre

Photos courtesy Deanne Jones

“Plaid Tidings” is playing at The Empress Theatre every Friday, Saturday and Monday now until December 19th 2015 at 7:30pm with 2pm matinees on December 5th and 12th. You can purchase tickets online or in person at the box office. All tickets are just $10.

One of our favorite Christmas traditions is attending the holiday production at The Empress Theatre. This year’s production is “Plaid Tidings”, which is a sequel to the beloved “Forever Plaid”.

“Forever Plaid is one of my favorite shows. It has amazing harmonies and a lot of heart,” said director Jamie Victor. “Take those two things and put them together and you have Forever Plaid, Plaid Tidings. This show can be spirited and zany but you will find it has a lot of heart.”

Plaid Tidings was written right after 9/11 when the playwright was approached by the Pasadena Playhouse to create a holiday edition of Forever Plaid. It was during a time when everybody needed a little joy and cozy Holiday fun to lift spirits and remind everybody of the fun in life after such devastating events. This past year for our family has definitely not been without challenges and heartache, and seeing Plaid Tidings and reading about the history of the purpose of why it was written helped to lift our spirits this Holiday season! It was exactly what we needed.

This production is a smaller cast, which worried me a little bit before attending, but found that it only added to the charm of it. When we attend productions at The Empress, each of us have our favorite cast member and role that we pick out as our favorite. With this cast, we loved each one of them equally, and enjoyed each of their different personalities that they added to their roles. It was one of those productions that you can just sit back, enjoy, and become engulfed in the spirit of the Christmas season.

“These four sweet and quirky lads just want to sing with their hero Perry Como. This second chapter of Forever Plaid allows them to do this,” Victor said. “I am grateful the four sweet and quirky men that  play our Plaids. They are just as delightful off stage as on.”

My two kids, ages 12 and 10, especially loved the humor in this production. Not only the humorous lines, but the way the cast members delivered them to the audience. More than once I looked over to see them giggling uncontrollably, which made my heart happy! We love attending live theatre to see how the cast members deal with those unexpected moments that arise, and this cast was brilliant at making those moments a part of the show, and only added to how much we enjoyed it.

As always, we loved the set design and how they change it with each production to make you feel like you are part of the act. This specific set design was done by Randy Rich, and we immediately noticed the airbrushing and how warm and cozy it made you feel. It was almost like snuggling up to a warm fire listening to Christmas carols, and drinking hot chocolate or cider.

“I spent the evening with my son, his wife & my two grandchildren at Empress Theater in Magna,” said Empress attendee Karen Moyle. “It was a lovely evening FULL of music. Great way to spend $10!”

We loved the appearances in this production by the timeless classics Rosemary Clooney, Perry Como, and The Ed Sullivan Show. We left the production smiling, and found ourselves waking up the next morning with the songs still in our head.

“Whether you remember who Perry Como is or are googling him right now, you will enjoy this Holiday Treat.” – Jamie Victor, director of “Plaid Tidings”.

The “Plaid Tidings” Cast:

Enjoy Utah was provided with complimentary tickets to attend Plaid Tidings for our review. We were not compensated financially, nor were we required or persuaded to write any specific type of review. The views and opinions expressed are all our own.