Arts & Culture
Hale Theater opens 2026 season with beloved musical Forever Plaid
The Ruth and Nathan Hale Theater (The Ruth) is delighted to kick off its 2026 season with Forever Plaid – a musical full of close harmony, timeless tunes, and the enduring power of friendship.
Written by Stuart Ross, Forever Plaid follows four earnest young singers (Sparky, Smudge, Francis and Jinx) whose dreams of stardom are tragically cut short by a fatal accident on their way to their first big show. They return—by a twist of fate—to perform the concert they never got to give. Featuring live musicians and classics such as “Three Coins in the Fountain,” “Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing,” and “Catch a Falling Star,” the show is a nostalgic tribute to 50s and 60s pop standards.
Forever Plaid is directed and choreographed by David Eggers, marking his directorial debut at The Ruth. For Eggers, this production is a deeply personal return to a story that has shaped his career.
“In the fall of 1993, right after graduating college, I auditioned for the sit-down production of Forever Plaid in Minneapolis,” Eggers said. “The next thing I knew, I was driving a small U-Haul packed with everything I owned up to the Twin Cities, thinking I’d do the show for six months and then head back to Chicago.”
Those six months turned into more than two years performing the role of Sparky, followed by another extended run with the Las Vegas company. Years later, after performing in 10 Broadway musicals, Eggers returned to the world of Plaid once again in Plaid Tidings at Cincinnati Playhouse, directed by Forever Plaid’s original writer and director, Stuart Ross. The show’s enduring appeal, Eggers believes, lies in both the music and the humanity of the characters.
“The music is joyful and wonderful with those silky-smooth, four-part harmonies,” he said. “But in these characters, we see our own hopes and dreams, our foibles and weaknesses, our resilience, and the universality of having to say goodbye in the end.”
Forever Plaid is presented by Soltis Investment Advisors, and runs January 19th – March 28th at The Ruth and Nathan Hale Theater on the Lindsay Legacy Stage.
