Clark Barrios has just about done it all as a singer in The Villages but now he’s ready for a new challenge – musical theater.
The versatile entertainer will star in “Forever Plaid,” which opens Wednesday at 5 and 8 p.m. at the Studio Theatre in Tierra Del Sol. The musical that highlights pop harmony hits from the 1950s and early ‘60s, runs Wednesdays through Saturdays, twice daily, until Sept. 2.
“This is all new for me; I’ve never done musical theater,” Barrios said Monday. “I’ve been working hard and learning a lot. The choreography is very precise and regimented. I’m having a lot of fun.”
Barrios has long been one of the most popular and versatile performers here. He has played throughout the country as a member of the Atlantic City Boys. He often performs in the Town Squares with his bands. And he has headlined shows at Savannah Center, performing the music of such artists as Michael Bublé, Frankie Valli, Frank Sinatra and Neil Diamond.
But most of the oldies in “Forever Plaid” were not on Barrios’ hit list. The four-part harmony of such groups as The Four Lads, Four Aces, Four Freshmen and the Hi-Lo’s, is new to him.
The songs include: “Moments to Remember,” “Love Is A Many Splendored Thing,” “Three Coins in the Fountain,” “No Not Much,” “Rags to Riches” “Heart and Soul” and a Perry Como tribute with, “Catch A Falling Star.”
“I never heard a lot of this music,” said Barrios, who plays the character Sparky in the show. “It’s wonderful. I feel lucky to discover it and I think this music is the foundation of a lot of what we are hearing today.”
The plot of “Forever Plaid” tells of four guys named Sparky, Smudge, Frankie and Jinx. They were killed in 1964 on their way to a gig. A bus of teenage girls going to a Beatles’ concert plowed into the Plaids’ car.
They come back from the grave to give the concert the Plaids never gave.
Appearing with Barrios is: Steven Flaa, who also directs the musical; Charles Logan and Brian Wettstein. “Steven had played in this musical many times and knows every role and everything about it,” Barrios said. “He won’t let you slack off and he’s been great to work with; I’ve learned a lot.”
Barrios describes the character of Sparky as, “a cut-up who loves to joke around with everybody.” But what makes ‘Forever Plaid’ work, is that this show has a lot of heart.
“It’s really about the love these four guys have for each other, and the music. I’m just happy to be a part of it.”