Jack Kennedy is going to do for sex what Eisenhower did for Golf.
Beehive, a musical revue dedicated to telling both the historical changes the US went through during the 1960’s and a tribute to the female soloists and singing groups of that era, was a smash hit at the Tacoma Musical Playhouse this weekend.
The 40 songs were well chosen representatives of the best female hits of both the early 60’s and the later 60’s, from the hormonal beehive era to the heavy rock and blues of Woodstock. It had a great live band, great costumes, great singer/dancers, warm human connection with the audience and everything necessary for a thoroughly enjoyable evening and was definitely worth the drive to Tacoma.
Beehive, created by Larry Gallagher, starts off with the big event in 1960-the election of the first president born in the 20th Century, who emanated not only sex appeal but youth with movie star good looks. The year of his election, 1960 significantly was the exact same year birth control pills were approved for contraception. So the social earthquake that was the 60’s began. Sex and the sexual revolution were lurking everywhere and no more so than in the songs of the early 60’s. They spoke to the hormonal impulses of teen-agers.
Advertising and the media, for example the James Bond movies, were more sexually explicit, but teen-agers were being raised by parents, some of whom were born either before or during World War I. For all the freedom which we associate with the ‘60’s, teen-age girls could not just walk into the family doc and get the pill, and abortion was not legalized until 1973. So the reality was that there was a lot of talk about sexual freedom, alongside passionate attempts to repress what was then called “pre-marital” sex.
ACT I of Beehive portrays this tension, teen-age girls having boyfriends and social freedom, but unable to talk to their mothers about it. The ensemble sang some of the greatest hits of the early 60’s It’s My Party, You Can’t Hurry Love, My Boyfriend’s Back, Will You still Love Me Tomorrow, Where the Boys Are, Then He Kissed Me. 
Act II reflects the historical divide of the 1960’s, the assassination of President John F. Kennedy and the British invasion of the Beatles. Just for the record, the first time I ever heard about the Beatles was a news broadcast at noon, Central Time, on Friday, Nov. 22, 1963, right before the earth-shaking announcement of the shooting in Dallas of President Kennedy.
Historically, after Kennedy’s assassination, social movements and protests got grittier as did the music, while the nation became pre-occupied with assassination. Act II was introduced by the serious song, Abraham, Martin and John, an ensemble piece, four singers sang different verses. It is a heartfelt tribute to crusaders for the civil rights movement who died young. It brought tears to my eyes, as I remembered those days, when as a teen-ager, I kept reeling from the news of one assassination after another.
Act II continued with Aretha Franklin’s hits and ended with Woodstock and Janis Joplin, including a sing-along to Bobby McGee, with lots of audience participations.
All six singers, Ashley Koon as Pattie, Allyson Jacobs-Lake as Allison, Brittany D. Henderson as Laura, Kataka “Kat” Corn as Gina, Deshanna Brown as Jasmine, and Lanita Hudson Walters as Wanda and the narrator were all strong expressive singers and fabulous dancers. Both as ensemble singers complimenting each other and as soloists, they emanated star quality. Lanita’s narration as Wanda was intelligent and witty.
The costume designer Julles M. caught the zeitgeist, beginning with those floral patterned above the knee dresses and white go-go boots and ending up with full on hippie gear from 1969. Judy Cullen, designed an exquisite set, which more or less hid the musicians but allowed them to be onstage. Musical director and pianist Beth Rainey assembled a band of excellent musicians: Alex Worland, Tenor Sax, John Stava, Trumpet, Tim Nordstrom, Electric Guitar, Jacqui Sandor, Electric Bass, and Iris McBride, on the Drums. Bringing it all together was director/choreographer Harry Turpin.
TMP’s Beehive is well worth seeing, I personally love musicals about music; Beehive is a fun, uplifting, interesting show with superb singing, acting and dancing. Several of the performances are already sold out, so get your tickets now. Unlike many Seattle shows, there is free parking right across the street and the theatre itself, is just a mile off I-5.
Beehive. Tacoma Musical Playhouse. . 7116- Sixth Ave Tacoma, WA 98406. Fri, Sat. 7:30 pm. Sun 2 pm. Til Feb. 16. Tickets: . Info (253) 565-6867 Free Parking across the street in a parking lot.