Plaid is back in fashion, but "Forever Plaid" has never gone out of style.

For those who missed "Forever Plaid" during its initial run at CLO Cabaret in 2004-'05, a quick recap: The musical tells the story of The Plaids, a boy band killed when the car carrying the four boys collides with a busload of fans headed to the Beatles' first appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show." The Plaids are miraculously able to return and perform the gig that they were denied because of the fatal crash.

Some references may go over the head of anyone who never gathered with family to watch Ed Sullivan introduce circus performers and rock stars and kiss the mouse puppet Topo Gigio good night; or anyone who thinks the Backstreet Boys were the original boy band. But the four good-natured friends and their will to achieve their shared dream make "Forever Plaid" timeless.

Chris Crouch as Frankie is the only newcomer to the starting four from "Plaid's" previous run at CLO Cabaret. He was an understudy in Pittsburgh then and had been playing Sparky (Marcus Stevens' role here) in Sacramento. Jumping from one role to the next within a band that counts on musical and emotional harmony isn't an easy task, and particularly so in this case. Sparky is a bit of a cut-up; Frankie is the often calming influence within the band.

Crouch, with his height and presence, fits the part just fine, while the rest of the cast remains frozen in time like The Plaids, the same crowd-pleasers we remember from 2005 (or 2007, if you count "Plaid Tidings").

J.D. Daw as Jinx hits the high notes and works his way through a soaring solo in "Cry," while Smudge (Joe Domencic) hits the bass notes in a mash-up of "Chain Gang" and "Sixteen Tons." Stevens gets particularly frisky in "Perfidia," while the harmonies are front and center on standards such as "Three Coins in a Fountain" and "Love Is a Many Splendored Thing."

Judging by the gentleman seated beside us who laughed himself hoarse on a recent Friday night, The Plaids have a standing invitation to transport us to a moment in time, when tight vocal harmonies and the doo-wop sound were being lost to the Brits, when four eager boys showed how hip they were with a tribute to the Beatles, singing, "She Loves You, Yessiree."

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