Created by Larry Gallagher and highlighting songs from the best-loved female artists of the 1960s, PCPA’s Beehive is a variety-show-style theatrical piece driven by nostalgia. Directed and choreographed by Keenon Hooks, Beehive is an enjoyable concert experience under the stars at the Solvang Festival Theater. This final show of the summer brings the peace, love, and music of the grooviest decade to life.
The performance features a chorus of actresses who volley remembrances of being young girls in the 1960s, feeling the growing pains of childhood and the country. The first half of the show is based in the early ’60s, and songs like “My Boyfriend’s Back” and “It’s my Party (and I’ll Cry if I Want to)” offer a glimpse of giggly girlhood in a time when women were not expected to get an education, travel the world, or develop a career. It’s a cute (but somewhat naive) representation of the era, and by intermission, I was ready for the turmoil of the latter half of the decade.
The second act begins with the death of JFK, a brief foray into the Greenwich Village folk-revival sound with “Abraham, Martin, and John”, and mentions of Vietnam. Still, the potential for depth falters: If the message of the first act was “girls want to meet boys, fall in love, and get married,” the message of the second act was akin to the “Girl Power” movement of the 90s: aggressively upbeat and female-forward, but lacking in activation. Many fabulous female artists are featured, but without the context of struggle, their importance in the history of gender equality is undermined.
Beehive is a fun night at the theater; it’s just not a deep dive into the culture. The cast and musicians are an excellent ’60s cover band, and the technical elements are punchy and fun. See the show through August 23 at the Solvang Festival Theatre. See https://bit.ly/3UafAOh.
