Throw your hands up and Shout! Off-Broadway’s smash mod musical is at the Arts Center of Coastal Carolina this summer, bringing back the swinging sounds and styles of the sixties. It’s the dawn of women’s liberation and London is rocking to the songs of English pop stars Petula Clark, Dusty Springfield, and Lulu.

Five groovy girls, four British and one American, are following the changes in attitudes and mores chronicled on the pages of Shout! magazine. Flipping through, they begin redefining themselves with the times and music.

The cast features several familiar faces to Arts Center theater patrons. Michelle Martin, the yellow girl, played Janis Joplin in the Arts Center’s production of Beehive; Jen Brooks, the red girl, was in Cats and A Chorus Line. Playing the orange girl is Meredith Inglesby, who grew up on Hilton Head and made her professional debut at the Arts Center 14 years ago as Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady. Kudos to veteran Arts Center Director/Choreographer Casey Colgan for delivering a fast-paced, comedic musical punctuated with delightful moments of 60s-style dancing including the frug and the swim. During a preview performance last night, all five cast members delivered masterful vocals singing back-to-back tight harmonies while adding percussive accompaniment to the excellent musical arrangement of Bradley Vieth and his orchestra. “Son of a Preacher Man,” soulfully sung by Michelle Martin, was an audience favorite. The colorful set by Sabrinna Cox and lighting by Terry Cermak were top-notch, and I knew the moment five tambourines suspended from rainbow-colored ribbons dropped to the set that the show was going to be a winner. Costumes by Diana Griffin were a trip down memory lane. I have to confess to either wearing or dressing my Barbies in almost all of the styles seen on stage including fringed vests and go-go boots.

At the end of the night the audience was on its feet singing Shout! along with the cast on stage. This is a fun, light-hearted evening for the whole family.

Arts Center of Coastal Carolina
June 19-July 29, 2012
Tickets:
$37-$42 adult; $25-$29 child
Box Office: 843-842-ARTS or online.
www.artshhi.com