By Jim Fusco:

Last week, my wife and I were on vacation in Las Vegas.  We were SO excited to learn that we were there on opening night of “Surf: The Musical”!  We got tickets and honestly, I didn’t know what to expect.  We went over to Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino…

Well, we were pleasantly surprised!  The show featured 30 Beach Boys songs and even had a couple of obscure ones, like Dennis Wilson’s “Be Still” (from the 1969 album “20/20”) and (slightly less obscure) “Getcha Back” (from the 1985 album “The Beach Boys”).

One of the coolest moments was after a car crash, the chorus sang “Our Prayer” (from Smile)- it was the perfect song choice.  Actually, I was surprised at how well the lyrics to all the songs fit in so well with the story.  They had to change a few lyrics (mostly gender-related), but it was done well.

Of course, the show was “Vegas-fied” with a lot of dancing, skimpier outfits than anyone would’ve worn in 1965, and there were a lot of special effects and lighting tricks.  The background was a set of three large LCD screens.  That was a great touch because the background changed with each scene- it allowed them to have different “locations” without having a ton of set props.  There was even a really cool Ferris Wheel effect that drew applause from the audience.

The singing was done pretty well- normally I can’t stand hearing people over-dramatize my favorite songs.  But, these stayed fairly true to the originals.

Overall, we had a ton of fun and I would really recommend it to any Beach Boys fan.  I hope it does well!