In 1990, an off-Broadway musical called "Forever Plaid" became a national favorite with its story of a close-harmony group of four geeky guys named Sparky, Jinks, Smudge and Frankie who were killed in a car accident but were allowed to return to earth for one last performance of '50s favorites.

In 2003, the Off Broadway Theatre first produced a parody called "Forever Dead," the story of four undead monsters named Barky (a werewolf), Sphinx (a mummy), Bloods (Dracula) and Frankie (Frankenstein's monster) who were killed in various ways but must resolve their issues through musical discovery before they can cross over to the other side.

"Forever Plaid" was made into a movie earlier this year, so the timing seems right for the OBT to bring "Forever Dead" back for this Halloween season.

During the first act of the Sept. 26 performance, the fearsome foursome performed songs from "Forever Plaid," changing "Crazy 'Bout Ya, Baby" to "Crazy 'Bout Lon Chaney" and "Moments to Remember" to "Victims to Dismember." They also tossed in a few other '50s faves (like the Mummy singing "My Girlfriend's Wrapped" instead of "My Boyfriend's Back").

Each individual member has a decent voice, and there were times when their barbershop-style vocals blended perfectly. But despite a few clever lyrics and a zinger of a joke here and there, this first half of the show fell flat due to some weak harmonies and some laborious spoken delivery on the part of Eric Jensen as the mentally challenged Frankie. At least Scott Bahlmann kept things interesting as the genuinely charismatic Bloods. Wearing a well-designed cape, poofy-sleeved shirt and vest, the tall blond swaggered around the stage looking every bit like the ladies' man he claimed to be.

The second act was a complete turnaround, thanks to some parodies of more modern songs and some improvised bits that bordered on brilliant.

In one scene, the group decided that what they needed to pass on to the other side might be to act out some scenes that were cut from movies that once played at the OBT. The setup is a stretch, but it was worth it. In quick succession, the troupe showed us a string of scenes we wish we could see, like a "Titanic" in which Jack asks Rose to make room for him on the floating piece of wreckage so he won't die of cold. The best bit was from "Star Trek," when a mediocre joke about needing Kleenex to wipe away a "Klingon" resulted in a fluffy object being pulled from a tissue box, which set up a parody of a song from the "The Music Man." ("Tribbles, oh we got Tribbles...")

There was also the extremely catchy "Normall Brain," in which Frankie sang about his desire for more smarts to the tune of Prince's "Purple Rain." And there was my favorite moment of the show, the Queen parody, "Bomummian Wrapsody," which featured some excellent choreography involving the actors turning flashlights off and on to illuminate their faces, and which particularly showcased the skills of pianist Amy Allred.

But I was most impressed with the bits that were obviously improvised. Eric Jensen, who is the author of "Forever Dead," has also been a performer with the OBT's improv comedy troupe, "Laughing Stock," and it's clear that impromptu performance is where he really shines. His gift was evident as he hammed it up more in response to the audience's laughter; it became more pronounced when he called the big-haired guitarist "Johnny Depp" after he supplied a forgotten line; it reached a climax when he mopped up a bottled water spill with his back; and it provided a big finish when he referenced an earlier technical glitch by singing, "One thing that I really don't like, I hate this stupid frickin' mic."

As a parody of a '50s musical revue, this show is just passable, but as Halloween improvisational comedy, it's the bees' knees.