Fond of the ‘50s

Young Chang

Adrienne Barbeau remembers the straight-skirt incident. She made the

clothing item in home economics class as an eighth-grader. Her mother

said she could wear it only with crinoline underneath -- the poofy,

chiffon layers that give life to poodle skirts.

“So I went to school in this straight skirt with all these lumps in

it,” Barbeau said.

She also thinks fondly of a boyfriend who sent her a purple Angora

sweater from where he was stationed as part of the National Security

Agency.

That is how Barbeau remembers the ‘50s.

It was a fun time -- a time when greasers ruled the school and The

Platters, The Drifters, The Coasters, The Sherrels, The Chantels, and

Little Anthony and the Imperials reigned over the music world.

“That’s the music I love best,” said the 55-year-old singer and

actress who will perform at Orange Coast College’s “Forever Fifties”

concert Sunday.

The retrospective program will feature Barbeau singing ‘50s tunes,

along with The Crew Cuts and The Coasters.

Best known for their hit songs “Earth Angel” and “Sh-Boom,” The Crew

Cuts were born out of the swing-style of the 1940s. “Sh-Boom” hit No. 1

both nationally and internationally. Their other famous tracks include

“P.S. I Love You” and “Til Then.”

The Coasters, who have sold 18 million records since the mid-1950s,

boast such hits as “Yakety Yak,” “Love Potion No. 9” and “Little Egypt.”

“The music of the ‘50s was more mellow, more pleasant to listen to,

without all the language we have today,” said Ryan Bean, who plays Danny

Zuko in an upcoming production of the ‘50s-themed musical “Grease” that

will appear at Newport Harbor High School. “I just think of the ‘50s as a

time of love and stuff.”

When asked to describe the ‘50s in a single word, the sophomore

quickly said “Fun!”

As a decade, it certainly has been good to Barbeau. She made her mark

on Broadway playing tough girl Rizzo in “Grease,” which earned her a Tony

Award nomination.

When she performs at nightclubs, her repertoire often includes The

Coasters’ “Love Potion No. 9.” She had to eliminate it from this

weekend’s program, but she’ll always remember it as her “Grease” audition

song.

Barbeau said she has never seen the John Travolta-Olivia Newton-John

version of “Grease” and that she does not plan to.

“The original show was much more realistic,” she said. “I think it’s

gotten much campier. I don’t think it was as lightweight as it probably

has become.”

Vanessa Long, a junior at Newport Harbor High School, will play Rizzo

in the school’s production. She agrees the musical and the movie are two

different shows.

“Most people are going to come to the show expecting the movie,” she

said. “There are a lot of similarities, but a lot of differences. There

are some different songs, a different layout of things, and the scenes

are in a different order.”

No matter. Rizzo stays pretty much the same.

“She’s the tough girl that has been hurt. You get that in both,”

Vanessa said.

FYI

WHAT: “Forever Fifties”

WHEN: 4 p.m. Sunday

WHERE: Robert B. Moore Theatre, Orange Coast College, 2701 Fairview

Road, Costa Mesa

COST: $25-$33

CALL: (714) 432-5880

WHAT: “Grease”

WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Jan. 18-20

WHERE: Robert B. Wentz Theater, Newport Harbor High School, 15th

Street and Irvine Avenue, Newport Beach

COST: $6-$8

CALL: (949) 515-6341