Talented quartet compensates for Fox Valley Rep's skimpy 'Bikinis'
Keep it simple.
Had writer/creators Ray Roderick and James Hindman heeded that advice, "The Bikinis" - their spun-sugar salute to girl groups running at Fox Valley Repertory in St. Charles - would have been a better show.
Instead, this "musical heat wave of the 1960s" is the theatrical equivalent of cotton candy: sweet but insubstantial.
Centered on four girls from the New Jersey shore who dream of topping the pop music charts, "The Bikinis" recalls "Forever Plaid," the oft-revived revue about a male doo-wop quartet. Nostalgia certainly contributes to the appeal of these jukebox tuners. But their success also depends upon the hit tunes culled from a particular era, the vocal chops and enthusiasm of its fresh-faced ensemble and the simplicity of its plot. Not that plot matters. No one goes to these shows for the story.
"The Bikinis" satisfies most of those requirements. It incorporates appealing, recognizable tunes made famous by such 1960s groups as The Ronettes, The Vandellas, The Shangri-Las and The Shirelles. The list, however, doesn't include The Supremes, a disappointing exclusion given they were the most successful girl group of all time.
Directed and choreographed by Kyle Donahue with able accompaniment by music director/pianist Jeffrey Poindexter, Fox Valley Repertory's revival of this 2010 show is a pleasantly innocuous bit of summer entertainment. And it features the talented, tireless quartet made up of Kyrie Anderson, Kristine Burdi, Alexandra Gonzalez and Colette Todd, whose sweet harmonies are the production's greatest asset.
The problem with "The Bikinis" rests with a silly premise that has the quartet - sisters Jodi (Todd) and Annie (Gonzalez), cousin Karla (Burdi) and best friend Barbara (Anderson) - reuniting 20 years after they made waves musically on the Jersey Shore with a bouncy beach tune titled "In My Bikini," an original by Roderick and Joseph Baker.
The now middle-aged women reunite for a benefit concert to save the Sandy Shores Mobile Home Community (Dan P. Conley's set is an homage to Jersey Shore kitsch) from real estate developers whose luxury condominiums threaten to displace the community's longtime residents.
Set in the 1960s, the first act traces the girls' efforts to raise money to record a hit single that will earn them a spot on Dick Clark's "American Bandstand." The second act, which incorporates the 1970s into early 1980s, finds the group drifting apart as the girls become women and pursue other interests like husbands and careers.
As is the case in similar revues ("The Marvelous Wonderettes," "Rock of Ages"), the material is skimpy and the characters practically see-through. And while the first act includes a rousing rendition of "Heat Wave," a lovely "Under the Boardwalk" and an entertaining salute to 1960s dances, it's hampered by filler, specifically a parody of 1960s teen surf movies that goes on way too long.
The second act addresses briefly the anti-war movement with a moving performance of "Dedicated to the One I Love." Accompanied by battlefield photographs taken during the Vietnam War, the song becomes a truly poignant homage to America's soldiers. There's also a nod to war protesters in the form of an affecting "Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)" and Bobby Darin's "Simple Song of Freedom."
But rather than build on that - and examine more fully the social and political transformations of the times, which were reflected in the music - "The Bikinis" instead focuses on Jodi's busted marriage (cue the country-tinged breakup tune) and Barbara's midlife romance with a former flame, an obvious excuse to include timeworn disco anthems "I Will Survive" and "It's Raining Men."
Through it all, the women look fetching in costume designer Kimberly G. Morris' flowered frocks and beach attire, which they don as the sun sets on this nostalgia trip.
“The Bikinis”
★ ★
Location: Pheasant Run Resort, 4051 E. Main St., St. Charles, (630) 584-6342 or
Showtimes: 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday through Aug. 16. Also 2 p.m. July 9, 16, 20 and Aug. 6
Running time: About two hours, including intermission
Tickets: $32, $42, dinner packages and group discounts available
Parking: Free lot adjacent to theater
Rating: For middle school and older