‘Beehive’ is all honey, no sting

Sure, entertaining musical revue touches on 1960s issues, but only with a quick brush

It is unlikely that Great Lakes Theater thought to counter-program what is currently being offered across the street at Playhouse Square, but its production of “Beehive: The 60s Musical” could not be more different from the touring “Disney’s Aladdin” at the KeyBank State Theatre.

While “Aladdin” is a largerthan-life, deep-pocketed musical conceived by the collective brain trust of the Disney Theatrical Productions juggernaut, “Beehive” is an intimate, lowbudget, no-frills jukebox musical created by a guy named Larry Gallagher, a booking agent with a momentary epiphany.

Actually, the show is more of a musical revue than a jukebox musical, because the songs neither tell a story nor is there a discernible story being told between them as connective tissue.

Essentially, six female performers in full-frontal flirtation mode and cheer face sing popular 1960s songs by female performers the likes of Tina, Aretha and Janis and renowned girl groups that include The Chiffons, The Shirelles and The Supremes.

They do so while performing Gregory Daniels’ choreography, which cleverly incorporates the dance crazes — the Swim, the Mashed Potato, the Twist, the Frug, the Pony — and highly synchronized backup group movement of the era while wearing colorful period dresses designed by Esther M. Haberlen.

While ’60s issues such as civil rights and women’s rights are addressed, they are delivered with postage due through token songs such as “Abraham, Martin and John” and “You Don’t Own Me,” respectively.

All this is performed on stage with only six light columns to call scenic design, which change hues in accordance with the mood of the song being performed.

In addition to the nostalgia generated by the music for those cognizant in the 1960s, this show offers little except for the exceptional performers handpicked among Baldwin Wallace University students and alum by the school’s director of music theater and this production’s director, Victoria Bussert.

Christiana Perrault, Annalise Griswold, Hannah-Jo Weisberg, Shelby Griswold, Camille Robinson and Adrianna Cleveland are no Tina, Aretha or Janis — whose songs make up most of the show’s less-engaging second act — but they brilliantly cover everyone else, are immensely charming and move beautifully. They are backed by a wonderful six-piece band under the direction of Matthew Webb, who also plays a keyboard.

Bussert pulls all this together nicely into a tight 100-minute production.

The one thing this production does share with the Broadway tour down the road is that neither engages the mind nor inspires the soul.

But that is not the point of productions like this.

Sit back, sing along and enjoy the performances.

ROGER MASTROIANNI Christiana Perrault, left, Annalise Griswold, Hannah-Jo Weisberg, Shelby Griswold, Camille Robinson and Adrianna Cleveland perform in Great Lakes Theater’s “Beehive: The 60s Musical.”