l to r: Joanna Young, Karyn Quakenbush, Katy Blake, Anne Fraser Thomas

The Bikinis

                                                             By Ed Lieberman

With almost perfect timing, the Westchester Broadway Theatre has mounted a production tailor made to counteract our (finally) winter weather. The Bikinis is a jukebox musical about a fictional 1960’s girls group, consisting of two sisters, a cousin and a friend, who grew up at the Sandy Shores Trailer Park (since re-named Sandy Shores Mobile Home Resort) on the Jersey Shore. The “girls” have reunited for the first time in . . . years, to perform at a fundraiser to fight a developer who is trying to purchase, demolish and develop the “resort.” As the girls prepare for the concert, they reminisce about their struggle to develop from a group of friends singing pop tunes for their own pleasure to a serious group, which required them to write a hit song. They succeed in writing one hit, “In My Bikini,” which they call their “A” side, but could never quite come up with the “B” side, required for them to get a recording contract.

Of course, the story is not the point of this exercise. It acts merely as filler, as the girls resurrect in the first act the music they sang at parties on the Boardwalk in the 1960’s, when they wore their namesake bathing gear. Songs such as “Itsy, Bitsy Teeny Weeny, Yellow Polka Dot Bikini,” “Heat Wave,” “Under the Boardwalk,” and other songs from the beach party movie era are sung with gusto. In Act Two, they relive the songs from the late ‘60’s Woodstock/Free Love era, when they “traded their two-piece for the one peace.” In that vein, the show pays lip service to the protest songs of not only the girl singers of the time (i.e. Melanie’s “Look What They’ve Done to My Song, Ma”) but, to Bobby Darin, of all people (“Simple Song of Freedom”).  They also worked in a powerful medley of “When Will I Be Loved,” “Last Dance,” “I’m Every Woman,” and “I Will Survive.”

clockwise from lower c: Karyn Quakenbush, Joanna Young, Anne Fraser Thomas, Katy Blake,

                                                                                    photos by Richard Termine

The set (uncredited) is simple, consisting of beach cabanas and a dune fence, behind which the excellent 4-member band, under the direction of Dan Pardo was placed. Lighting Director Jamie Roderick set the scene for the various songs by subtle changes in lighting (i.e. orange glow for “Heat Wave”).

The talented cast consists of Katy Blake,  Anne Fraser Thomas, Joanna Young and Karyn Quakenbush. They each have their own individual personalities and voices and the show gives each of them ample opportunity to shine singing solos, as well as blend together as a quartet. Standout solo numbers include Ms. Young’s cover of Elvis singing “Shakin in the Sand,” and Katy Blake’s rendition of Nancy Sinatra’s “These Boots are Made for Walkin.’” Keeping all this moving was Ray Roderick, who co-wrote the show with James Hindman and directed and choreographed this production. Also to be recognized is Musical Director Joseph Baker, who co-wrote, with Mr. Roderick, some original songs for the show.

The Bikinis runs through March 19^th at the Westchester Broadway Theatre, One Broadway Plaza, Elmsford, NY. Box Office:  (914) 592-2222 or www.BroadwayTheatre.com

Future shows:

Mamma Mia: March 23 – June 25, 2017

Annie: June 29 – September 10, 2017

Annie Get Your Gun: September 14 – December 3, 2017