'Beehive' Delivers Musical Nostalgia

The 1960s, a decade that began with Connie Francis and ended with Janis Joplin, gave us a wide range of pop music performed by women. Music, politics and culture fused in such a dynamic way that most people who came of age then can still match Top 40 hits with the societal upheavals that accompanied them.

Although when we muse about the '60s, we may first think of the Beatles, Dylan, the Rolling Stones, the Beach Boys and other male songwriters, singers and groups, let us not forget the Supremes, the Shirelles, Dusty Springfield or Lesley Gore. Larry Gallagher, a booking agent for nightclubs and cabarets in New York, did not forget. He strung together in approximate chronological order three dozen songs crooned by women that hit the charts between 1960 and 1970. He added pop-culture touchstones and political references and created "Beehive," a jukebox musical onstage at Lazy Susan Dinner Theatre. It's a high-energy dose of fun.

"Beehive" refers, of course, to those mile-high stacks of lacquered hair that have come to symbolize the pre-Beatle 1960s, even though this 'do was more talked about than seen. Lazy Susan director Hans Bachman has gathered six sparkling talents to perform the tunes as close to the style of the originals as possible, and frequently the performers physically resemble the individual stars. They mix and match roles, singing backup for one another in ever-changing combinations.

As the ensemble rolls through the hits, super-talented Jade Wheeler plays Diana Ross as all brittle ego, trying to separate herself from the other two disgruntled Supremes in "Come See About Me," "I Hear a Symphony" and "Where Did Our Love Go?" But she adroitly trades Ross's sweet but thin voice for a deeper, huskier tone in a bluesy version of Aretha Franklin's "Respect" and the Carole King folk ballad "Natural Woman" that Franklin made a hit. It's not how the Queen of Soul sang them, but it's hard to imagine anyone copying Franklin's vocalization, and Wheeler scores by doing it her way.

The other five performers keep up with Wheeler note for note, particularly Genevieve Williams and Julie Wolf. Williams picks up right where Wheeler leaves off in "Natural Woman" with a powerful, gospel-infused "Do Right Woman." The two songs eventually blend as Wheeler joins her. The soulful harmony transcends much of the enjoyable but lighter music that has come before. Wolf, meanwhile, displays remarkable versatility and a vivacious personality, showcasing the work of Gore with "It's My Party" and Springfield's "You Don't Own Me," among others.

The music darkens in Act 2. "My Boyfriend's Back" and "Sweet-Talkin' Guy" give way to "Society's Child" and gravel-voiced Joplin songs. But there's still room for high spirits, and never more so than when Erica Scott stops the show as leggy, gyrating Tina Turner belting "A Fool in Love" and "Proud Mary," backed by Wheeler and Dena Ariel Kolb.

Kolb has her moments with uncanny impressions of Brenda Lee ("I'm Sorry") and Petula Clark ("Downtown"). Morgan Fannon, with a pert comic sensibility that serves her well in a number of songs, is given the unenviable tasks of singing Francis's "Where the Boys Are" and Joplin's "Piece of My Heart" and "Me and Bobby McGee."

Francis and Joplin, so different from each other, had one-of-a-kind styles. Francis conveyed heartrending longing with her syrupy delivery, whereas Joplin had raw, gut-wrenching intensity. It's impossible to re-create their unique sounds and though Fannon gets through "Where the Boys Are" credibly, her turn as Joplin provides a few cringe-inducing moments.

With emphasis on the songs, the backdrops are simple, dominated by a giant re-creation of a Wurlitzer-style jukebox. Choreographer Stefan Sittig has the six singers gently moving to evocative period steps in which groups of three or four are singing, and Sittig provides especially effective moments in the Turner sequences. The recorded music track is not loud enough, but it is energetic as it goes through pop, doo-wop, the British invasion, Motown, folk, and rock-and-roll. It was a long, strange trip, the 1960s, but "Beehive" takes the sting out and leaves only the honeys.

"Beehive" continues through Oct. 15 at the Lazy Susan Dinner Theatre, Route 1 at Furnace Road, Woodbridge. Performances are at 8 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays, 8:30 p.m. Saturdays and 7:30 p.m. Sundays. For reservations or dining information, call 703-550-7384, or visithttp://www.lazysusan.com.