Photo Coverage: FOREVER PLAID The Event- A Benefit For Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids at The Laurie Beechman Theatre

The West Bank Cafe/Laurie Beechman Theatre became all PLAID last night in a Benefit For Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids and the special production proved that PLAID will happily be on our planet FOREVER! The performance continues for two more nights.

FOREVER PLAID started at the West Bank nearly 30 years ago before transforming uptown for nearly 2000 performances. It has played on every continent (except the South Pole) in thousands of cities. Forever Plaid is the story of a semi-professional harmony group that meet their demise on the way to their first big gig, the night the Beatles played the Ed Sullivan Show, February 9, 1964. But Cosmos smiles and allows them to slip through a hole in the ozone layer and to return to earth to do the show that they never got to do in life.

Stuart Ross, Writer and Director of FOREVER PLAID recalled that, "The West Bank was the first place that invited the Plaid adventure to spread out of his living room (upstairs in Manhattan Plaza) and into the public eye. Lewis Black was hosting the Saturday night show on Valentine's Day 1987. He had several cancellations and needed someone to book some entertainment quickly. One of his collaborators at the Club was the brilliant and sorely missed Rusty Magee. Rusty was an original Plaid. He and three other Plaids- John DiPinto, Jonathan Long, and William Misnik, had been rehearsing a few songs for this strange show that I was just beginning to develop. The show was based on my memories of some of the music that filled my Pre-K years.

The Plaids put on black tuxedos,I found some plaid flannel shirts and some black bowties. That night the Four Plaids went downstairs and sang to a full house. Although they were scared, under-rehearsed and definitely on the brink of panic, you could feel the vibe of the harmony, the melodies and the sincere earning in the voices of the guys permeate the room."

FOREVER PLAID features: Sean Bell, Michael Buchanan, Nick Cearley, and Joshua David Cavanaugh.

Special Plaid Guests were: Paul Caster, David Engel, Drew Gerace, Javier Ignacio, Nick Locilento, Rodney Peck, Ryan Perry, Kilty Reidy, Justin Sargent, Clif Thorn, Garris Wimmer and Michael Winther. Musical Arrangements by James Raitt, Music Director David Hancock Turner.

Copy & Photo Credit: Stephen Sorokoff

Michael Buchanan, Sean Bell, Nick Cearley, Joshua David Cavanaugh

Stuart Ross, writer/director

Forever Plaid

Plaids, Javier Ignacio, Michael Winther, Ryan Perry, Garris Wimmer, David Engel, Dew Geraci, Rodney Peck, Kilty Reidy, Paul Castree, Justin Sargent

Forever Plaid, Drew Geraci, Clif thom, Ryan Perry, Paul Castree

Forever Plaids Cliff Thorn, Joshua David Cavanaugh, Sean Bell, Ryan Perry, Nick Cearley, Drew Geraci, Michael Buchanan, Paul Castree

Sean Bell

The Laurie Beechman Theatre

Forever Plaid

Forever Plaid, Nick Locilento, Joshua David Cavanaugh, Sean Bell, Nick Cearley, Michael Buchanan

Forever Plaid

Plaids

Forever Plaid

Forever Plaid

Danny Whitman, Development Director,BCEFA, Mark Sendroff, Tom Viola, Executive Director BCEFA, Stuart Ross

Jamie deRoy, Riki Kane Larimer, Stuart Ross

Eda Sorokoff & Jim Caruso

Jim Caruso & Jamie deRoy

James Morgan, York Theatre

Plaid Green room