On Broadway | Good Vibrations
Reviewed by: Susan Granger

MODA MAG.COM -- (Eugene O'Neill Theater, 2004-2005 season)
     So far, it's unanimous. The Beach Boys musical "Good Vibrations" is not only the worst musical of the season but, perhaps, the worst musical ever to open on Broadway.
      Based on old ABBA songs, "Mamma Mia!" launched the current craze for reviving musical hits on-stage and it was followed by the music of Billy Joel in the less-successful "Movin' Out." But there doesn't seem to be much to recommend this aimless, high-priced hodge-podge of warmed-over, sun-drenched nostalgia by Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys. It's a wipeout.
     What does it lack? A good book, interesting staging and, frankly, a better score.
     Beginning with "Once upon a time, there was a far-off land called California..." Richard Dresser's lackluster, bubble-gum book revolves around a goofy group of East Coast kids, recent high-school graduates, who travel West seeking sun, surf and true love.
     Director John Carrafa is a lead-footed choreographer whose idea of fun who isn't helped by Heidi Ettinger's tacky sets and Jess Goldstein's predictably formulaic costumes that don't even reflect the era in which the Beach Boys thrived. Even the kaleidoscope of 30+ Beach Boy songs, like "Surfer Girl" and "California Girl," don't sound as good as I remember them from the '60s.
     Pity the poor cast members - Kate Reinders, David Larsen, Jessica Snow-Wilson, Tituss Burgess, Jackie Seiden, Janet Dacal et al - who enthusiastically sing and dance their hearts out - to no avail. And in a final insult, during the finale, these cast members throw beach balls directly at indulgent audience members who are politely applauding. But they're real beach balls - and sometimes they clunk people on the head. Surf's down on this one.