Theater review: '60s musical 'Shout!' isn't so groovy

First, the good: The five gals of "Shout! The Mod Musical" all hold their own on stage, maintaining energy and spunk even as they're forced into vaguely conceived roles as a '60s era floozie, homebody, goofball, wallflower and self-centered beauty.

Now, the sad truth: The show, which made its debut Thursday at the Drury Lane Theater at Water Tower Place, is a stone cold dud, man, one without any thought put into its cultural name-checking or sense of nostalgia. It's as if the writers sat around brainstorming ideas, decided on making a musical about five types of women in the '60s and came to the simple conclusion that they'd have to reference marijuana and birth control and include songs like "Downtown" and "Son of a Preacher Man" and "These Boots Were Made For Walkin'." And that's where the imagination stopped.

Even if you love musicals and love the music of the '60s--admittedly, I'm not a huge fan of either--surely you're tired of jabs at the dental hygiene of the British or the perennial rivalry between the Brits and the French. (What's the only thing worse than being ugly, the play asks. The answer: "You could be French." Eat your heart out, Austin Powers.) There are also many, many jokes to reflect the insulting mentalities that pre-dated the women's rights movement, which basically boil down to an off-screen advice columnist telling the gals that there's no problem that can't be fixed with a manicure or new hairstyle. It's a charmingly redundant running gag that clashes badly during a brief scene in which the columnist responds to a woman asking for help with her abusive husband. It would be tough to think of the last time I saw a greater, more misguided tonal shift on stage, and you could hear the effect in the audience, as many viewers seemed primed to chuckle only to realize, wait, this time it's not a laughing matter. Oops.

Bottom line: Just because "Shout!" spends most of the time trying to be fluffy and cheesy and far-out, dude, doesn't mean it can't deliver superficial fun in a smart way. For what it's worth, the cast makes for pleasant company throughout the 90-minute show, even if the play doesn't live up to the people performing it.