The Mark Ten's Fantastic Parade

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The Mark Ten's Fantastic Parade
If all the stuff you wanted to listen to as a kid was out of print, only to be had in second-hand record shops on lucky days or at garage sales run by half-hearted hippies turned suburbanites; if you wish the networks still ran variety shows or black and white clips of your favorite bands from Ed Sullivan and Hullaballoo; then, ?The Mark Ten?s Fantastic Parade? is probably for you. It is not often that I?m moved to put forth the effort to write a review. However, this is the best production I?ve seen at the Boxcar Playhouse in the past two years. It?s a light-hearted jaunt with any/every sixties band, with original musical compositions to boot, which are lip-synced by the players. The simple but stylish set along with the excellent costumes and accoutrements build the air of nostalgia. Think of a post-watershed version of ?The Monkees? but with good stuff like sex, drugs, a bisexual groupie, and a bit of naughtiness. The plot is built around a very popular band who are forsaking touring in order to concentrate on studio work which is complicated and often foiled both by an arch-rival musician and their own peccadilloes. The story is also imbued with a touch of the preternatural reminiscent of writers such as Michael Chabon, David Mitchell, or Gore Vidal...which can?t be elaborated without a spoiler. Having seen the $5 preview, I would say that I highly leveraged my entertainment dollar. But I am thinking of going back on a higher priced night to see it one more time. I highly recommend it if you looking for an evening of easy, breezy fun.

Reviewed by pheriwinkle on Thursday, Jan 14th, 2010

RE:The Mark Ten's Fantastic Parade
If all the stuff you wanted to listen to as a kid was out of print, only to be had in second-hand record shops on lucky days or at garage sales run by half-hearted hippies turned suburbanites; if you wish the networks still ran variety shows or black and white clips of your favorite bands from Ed Sullivan and Hullaballoo; then, ?The Mark Ten?s Fantastic Parade? is probably for you. It is not often that I?m moved to put forth the effort to write a review. However, this is the best production I?ve seen at the Boxcar Playhouse in the past two years. It?s a light-hearted jaunt with any/every sixties band, with original musical compositions to boot, which are lip-synced by the players. The simple but stylish set along with the excellent costumes and accoutrements build the air of nostalgia. Think of a post-watershed version of ?The Monkees? but with good stuff like sex, drugs, a bisexual groupie, and a bit of naughtiness. The plot is built around a very popular band who are forsaking touring in order to concentrate on studio work which is complicated and often foiled both by an arch-rival musician and their own peccadilloes. The story is also imbued with a touch of the preternatural reminiscent of writers such as Michael Chabon, David Mitchell, or Gore Vidal...which can?t be elaborated without a spoiler. Having seen the $5 preview, I would say that I highly leveraged my entertainment dollar. But I am thinking of going back on a higher priced night to see it one more time. I highly recommend it if you looking for an evening of easy, breezy fun.

Reviewed by pheriwinkle on Thursday, Jan 14th, 2010