The title Tiki Bikini Beach Paradise Party A-Go-Go doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue, but it certainly gives a good indication of what viewers are in for when they go see the hit Fringe Festival musical.

Writer and director Allison Beula spontaneously blurted out the title while standing in her boyfriend’s living room. She’d been mulling over the idea of creating an homage to the beach party movies of the 1960s.

“He thought the title was too long,” she recalls. But after singing the title over and over, he changed his mind. “He thought it was catchy.”

Beach party movies enjoyed widespread but brief popularity. There was typically little to no plot – they were all about dancing, singing and being on the beach. Adults ignored them, but teens flocked to theatres and drive-ins.

“There’s this youthful enthusiasm to them,” says Beula. “Teens thought they were the greatest thing on the planet.”

A choreographer equally inspired by Fred Astaire and the Muppets, Beula created the show after becoming a fan of the genre, inspired by the films’ youthful energy.  Accepted by the Fringe Festival, she threw together a story and found a surf-rock band, the Von Drats, to perform the show’s music.

“I kept sort of expecting not to be received well because no one died of a horrible disease,” she jokes.  “I like message shows too, but this is go be happy the entire time.”

Much to her surprise, the show was not only received well, it became a runaway hit.

“It’s great to be rewarded for who I am,” she says.

This lead to its current run as part of the Nextstage Theatre Festival.  Not bad for someone who is afraid of surfing.

The Tiki Bikini Beach Paradise Party A-Go-Go runs until Jan 15 at the Factory Theatre (125 Bathurst St.) Tickets are $10-$15.