“The Bikinis,” an upbeat musical by Ray Roderick and James Hindman, hits a home run at the Hippodrome Theater in Gainesville.
This fast-paced production centers around four women, sisters Annie (Catherine Fries Vaughn) and Karla (Melanie Souza), cousin Jodi (Kelly Atkins) and best friend Barbara (Wydetta Carter), who formed a quartet in the sixties when they were on a Jersey Shores beach one summer.
The action takes place on New Year’s Eve 1999 at the recreation center in The Sandy Shores Mobile Home Beach Resort where the sisters grew up. The girls have reunited to raise money to save the resort from developers who want to build a high-rise condo.
The girls weave a story of their beginning through song and dialogue with all the popular songs from the from 1964-66, such as “Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini,” “Where the Boys Are” and “Chapel of Love.” The mood and songs change in ’67 with the Vietnam War to Woodstock to the Rock and Roll era with “Time of the Season,” “Simple Song of Freedom” and so on.
This play, which runs through Sunday, June 24, is a must-see to relive that great music era and genre. You will come away with fond memories and having seen a great performance that will keep your toes tapping. And you’ll even be invited to hum or sing along at times.
The blend of the voices is so well matched, they could probably go on tour now and be highly successful.
Villager Don Simson reviews local theater for Villages-News.com.
