Eight stories above Hennepin Avenue in downtown Minneapolis is a barber shop, a cliché sort of shop that you’d picture even if you’ve never been in one yourself. Even more cliché? Four men fill the place, their voices conveniently falling in perfect harmony with one another: a babershop quartet. But with the expected setting comes an unexpected treat, namely the powerfully soulful sounds of David Hurst, Jackson Hurst, Dennis Spears, and Julius C. Collins III in Illusion Theater’s Always and Forever, written by Richard D. Thompson, Sanford Moore, and Garry Q. Lewis.
Back for another round of laughs and grooving good tunes, Always and Forever is a simple musical that’s all about the music. Oh, and love. Lots of love. There are cheeky love songs (“Everybody Plays a Fool,” made famous by The Main Ingredient), sentimental love songs (“I’ll Be There,” Jackson Five), romantic love songs (“You Send Me,” Sam Cooke), sad love songs (“Tears of a Clown,” Smokey Robinson), and love-love songs (“Let’s Get It On,” Marvin Gaye). And all of them—that’s right, all 25—work. Maybe it’s due to the talented men singing them, or maybe it’s just each tune’s timeless appeal, but not one moment goes by during the show that the audience isn’t swaying or singing along. Call it cliché, but Always and Forever is a lot of fun. Don’t miss this love train.
Always and Forever
Through Sunday, January 8
$20-$30
Illusion Theater, 528 Hennepin Ave., Mpls., 612-339-4944
