Some readers may remember a 1982 film noir parody called “Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid,” but the musical now playing at Dexter’s Encore Theatre, “Forever Plaid,” would appear to disprove this notion.

Focused on the four members of an aspiring doo-wop group who, in 1964, were killed by a busload of Catholic school girls on their way to see the Beatles perform on “The Ed Sullivan Show,” “Forever Plaid” is ultimately a revue that spotlights the 1950s music of those all-male groups that wore matching dinner jackets and performed fussy, hyper-literal choreography.

Indeed, when the Plaids were struck down, they were en route to pick up their custom-made plaid tuxedos, which they'd planned to wear to their first-ever paying gig. Yet thanks to some bizarre cosmic circumstances, the Plaids, at the show’s outset, suddenly resume their human forms in the present day and find themselves able to finally present the show they never got to perform in life.

During Friday’s opening night performance of “Plaid” at Encore, I questioned how large a role age should play in casting the show. After all, according to the narrative, the Plaids were high school friends who were in their early 20s when they died; yet the four actors (Steve DeBruyne, Sebastian Gerstner, Phill Harmer, and Leo Daignault) appear to span a fairly broad range of ages, and only one, maybe two, might pass for early 20s.

Yet this feels like nitpicking when a show’s subtitle might as well be, “Just go with it.” And show creator Stuart Ross wisely steers "Plaid" toward broader bits of comedy - such as inviting the audience to sing along with “Matilda”; having a Plaid choose a substitute piano player from the crowd for “Heart and Soul”; and cramming an episode of “The Ed Sullivan Show” into a three minute version of “Lady of Spain” (the production’s hands-down comedy highlight) - when the 1950s songs begin to register in your ear as sounding blandly similar.

Plus, at Encore, the vocal performances truly couldn’t be better. The four actors not only have great pipes, but they also harmonize with masterful control and sense of balance (for which music director Brian Buckner also deserves praise).

Daignault, who has worked on “Plaid” productions on-and-off since the show first found success in the early ‘90s, gets to unleash the full power of his voice in “Cry,” and DeBruyne and Harmer shine in a hilarious conjunction of “Sixteen Tons” and “Chain Gang.”

In a way, that number gets at the genius of “Forever Plaid,” which is that audiences get to listen to classic pop songs performed well while also being lightheartedly entertained. The show is neither pious nor dismissive about its music. Certainly, “Plaid” mocks the genre’s limitations - note the Plaids' laughably square revision of the Beatles’ “She Loves You” - but it also celebrates its sheer beauty, and charms you with humor throughout. For the era from which these men hail seems to precede a pervasive cynicism that has long since gripped the country, so the characters' earnestness is often hysterically endearing.

Director/choreographer Barb Cullen get high marks for helming a swiftly-paced, 90 minute production that's so musically and comedically satisfying. Plus, for the “Ed Sullivan” number alone, Jennifer Colby deserves, well, considerable props for her props work. And despite a few logistical problems on opening night (suspenders popping off, as well as an errant cummerbund), Colleen Meyer’s costumes look the part. Steven V. Rice got to have some fun with the lighting design; and Buckner, alongside bassist Billy Satterwhite, provides excellent musical accompaniment.

Yes, despite being bowled over from the get-go by the show's knockout vocals, I’ll confess that at one point early on, I thought, “Is this all there is?” But then the production's execution and comedy won me over.

More than anything else, “Forever Plaid” is like the guys in the show: unlikely to stir up feelings of grand passion, but sweet, winning, and likable nonetheless.

Jenn McKee is the entertainment digital journalist for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at jennmckee@annarbor.com or 734-623-2546, and follow her on Twitter @jennmckee.