Though the Jewel Box had been planning for a spring production of “The Great American Trailer Park Musical,” it may have stumbled upon a perfectly tailored play in its stead.
It all starts with the inevitable envelope in the mail inviting you to join AARP. That life-changing moment, the dagger of growing old, is examined in this year’s spring musical “Too Old for the Chorus (but not too old to be a star).”
Director Gwen Adams (“Nunsense” and “Forever Plaid”) and crew sing their way through the musical revue highlighting the whirlwind of emotions, inevitabilities and aching backs that come along with turning 50.
It happens to all of us. Some are more apt to accept it than others. Some refuse outright.
“I’m not 50, I’m 27 with 23 years of experience,” one of the characters in “Too Old” protests.
I feel a bit disadvantaged in writing this article given my 20-something age count, but whether or not you’ve reached the golden years, this show is something you may be able to relate to in one way or another.
Adams, 48, said it reminds her more of her parents than herself.
“I haven’t really come to terms with getting older,” she admits. “I may admit I’m old when I’m 70.”
That mentality is one reason why the folks at the Jewel Box have labeled the show “a musical for those who refuse to grow up.” They had planned to premiere “The Great American Trailer Park Musical,” however the rights were unavailable, so they had to push that show back a year.
“Too Old for the Chorus” is set in a chic coffee shop where a quintet of regulars — played by Leslie Engelhard, Kim Hart, Jerry Vogt, Kathy Berg and a new face to the Jewel Box Lee Harwell — are gathered, commiserating about the all-too depressing, yet somehow empowering, feat of growing old.
Creator Mark Winkler, a California lyricist and jazz musician, dedicates the show to all those people like himself, over 50, who are just now feeling their “potential.”
The musical revue’s 20 songs, in the vein of ragtime, bossa nova, doo-wop, jazz and even a rap song, are spliced together with bits of dialogue and widely pervasive subject matter like memory blips and hot flashes, sagging flesh, road-not-taken regrets and fighting up the ever-flowing stream of technology.
Think a non-gender-specific version of the show “Menopause” with a house band.
“Too Old for the Chorus (but not too old to be a star)” will be on the boards May 23 through June 22 at the Jewel Box Theater, 225 Iverson St. in Poulsbo. Curtains are at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays with 2 p.m. matinees June 1, 8 and 22. Tickets are $14 for adults, $12 for seniors, students and active duty military. Info: www.jewelboxpoulsbo.org or call (360) 779-9688.
