Review: SPIRIT OF THE SIXTIES at Downtown Cabaret Theatre

On Friday, April 22, 2022, I had the pleasure of seeing another phenomenal production at the Downtown Cabaret Theatre in Bridgeport, CT. I have been looking forward to SPIRIT OF THE SIXTIES since I first heard of it, and even more when I found out that it has the same stellar cast as their previous Decades in Concert production, The Sounds of the Seventies. Robert Peterpaul, Mikayla Petrilla, Everton Ricketts, and Saige Bryan yet again showcase their collective first-rate talents as individuals and as a cohesive group, singing and dancing under the excellent direction and choreography of Jennifer Kaye, and accompanied by pre-recorded instrumentation. Phill Hill's clever writing shines through on this amazing selection of about fifty songs from a decade that many would regard as the greatest decade of music in music history! It is clear that the cast is having as wonderful a time performing on stage as the audience is watching them perform!

Large screens in the background show clips of news reels, commercials, television, and live events from the sixties. These clips can be seen both during the performances of the songs, and in between songs, when the cast members make costume changes with costumes designed by Lesley Neilson-Bowman, costumes that depict various sixties styles. The video clips include depictions of varying protests or viewpoints that whether positive or negative were views that were held by prominent figures in the public eye, in the sixties.

The best use of the media, from my perspective, was in setting up for "Fortunate Son," with a video about the draft for the Vietnam War. I have known the song "Fortunate Son," for about thirty years, but for whatever reason, I never quite understood that the message of the song was to protest the draft, until I saw it in that context, which truly brought the song to life for me. As they do with all their songs, Robert Peterpaul and Everton Ricketts perform this number with strong passion and feeling.

Neither the songs nor the media are presented in the strict chronological timeframe beginning in 1960 and ending in 1969, yet the sequence nevertheless gels perfectly for this production.

The opening number is the Who's "My Generation," which all four cast members perform together, going line for line, delivering energy and enthusiasm that resonates throughout the audience. The cast makes excellent use of microphone reverb that enhances this number and sets up the crowd for an excellent time!

My favorite performance involving all four cast members is "The Sound of Silence," which was presented in the context of the assassination of John F. Kennedy.

My favorite numbers featuring Robert Peterpaul include "Satisfaction" and the Joe Cocker arrangement of "With A Little Help From My Friends."

My favorite numbers featuring Mikayla Petrilla are "Piece of My Heart," and "These Boots are Made For Walkin'"

My favorite numbers featuring Saige Bryan are "Son of a Preacher Man," and the way she delivers the female vocals on "Gimme Shelter."

My favorite numbers featuring Everton Ricketts are "Unchained Melody," and "Purple Haze." The first act ends with a full cast montage of songs by various artists including Stevie Wonder, the Temptations, The Four Tops, Martha & the Vandellas, Jackie Wilson, and The Supremes. The second act concludes with a full cast montage of Beatles songs that span the Beatles from their early days of "I Saw Her Standing There," through their later days of "Get Back."

The other songs include music from The Beach Boys, Byrds, Graham Nash, Joni Mitchell, Jefferson Airplane, Steppenwolf, Bob Dylan, the Band, Van Morrison, Sly & the Family Stone, Sam & Dave, James Brown, Aretha Franklin, and Buffalo Springfield, as well as additional music from the Rolling Stones and Credence Clearwater Revival. This cast brings justice to every song they perform.

For mature audiences, I highly recommend SPIRIT OF THE SIXTIES which is scheduled to continue to run at the Downtown Cabaret Theatre through May 15, 2022. For times and tickets, please go to tickets.

To post a comment, you must register and login.