Whether you grew up in the 1970s, or just love the cool sounds of the decade, the Arundel Barn Playhouse has a show that will make you feel like dancing.
Rick Seeber’s “8-Track” pays homage to the ’70s with a two-act, eight-track “soundtrack” featuring more than 50 songs that span the decade. With legendary disc jockey Casey Kasem dying at age 82 this month, the playhouse couldn’t have chosen a more fitting time to stage the flashback show’s New England premiere.
Ashten Banister, Aili Venho, Brian DiRito and Roger Reed star in Arundel Barn’s fab production. Each represents a ’70s stereotype – the seeker, the feminist, the happy soul and the confident male. Although “8-Track” loosely follows the lives of the four unnamed friends, it isn’t so much a musical play as a groovy musical trip through the ’70s. The story is told completely through song, with the four performers acting out the lyrics as they sing and dance.
It’s a song-intense performance, divided into eight themed tracks: “Not Sold in Stores,” “Beginnings,” “War & Peace,” “The Party,” “The One-Day Stand,” “Road Trip,” “Disco” and “Dim All the Lights.” The song list is far from all-inclusive, but provides a mix that allows patrons to get their groove on.
With the exception of hard rock and punk, it samples the popular genres of the ’70s, including easy listening, pop, funk, soul, country and disco. There’s even a touch of rock thrown in, with the company performing an excerpt from Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody.”
The four performers, backed by a four-piece band, perform many of the songs as a beautifully harmonized quartet, but all are given the opportunity to showcase their individual talents. And they did Friday night.
Venho delivered a sassy rendition of Helen Reddy’s “I Am Woman” and Banister showed off her powerful pipes on Rose Royce’s soulful “Car Wash.” The guys also wowed, with Reed revealing the richness of his vocals on Barry Manilow’s version of “I Write the Songs” and DiRito belting out a high falsetto on the Bee Gees’ “Stayin’ Alive.”
Befitting the ’70s, “8-Track” also has a healthy dose of tongue-in-cheek performances woven into the musical mix. A medley of C.W. McCall’s “Convoy” and Paul Simon’s “Fifty Ways to Leave Your Lover” was just one of several that brought a smile Friday.
Adding to the fun, the performers cleverly brought back memories of how eight-track players changed tracks – often mid-song – dramatically switching from Ray Stevens’ “Everything is Beautiful” into Edwin Starr’s “War.”
“8-Track” is a good-vibe ’70s romp that not only has the music of the decade, but also the iconic visuals, including the flowered prints, mini-dresses, leisure suits, go-go boots, tie-dye shirts, protest signs, pet rocks and Rubik’s cubes. And with plenty of far-out dance moves, the show is a nifty way to reminisce about the ’70s. The Arundel Barn Playhouse’s cast is clearly having fun taking the audience on this blast from the past.
April Boyle is a freelance writer from Casco. She can be contacted at:
aprilhboyle@yahoo.com
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