aging

‘Mink’ a good fit for Center Stage

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By John Lyle Belden

“Life is too complicated, that’s why I don’t think about it.”

This line by the lead character is the essence of “The Widow in Mink,” a comedy by Carl L. Williams presented by Center Stage Community Theatre in Lebanon.

It has been two weeks since Margaret Osgood (Julie Wallyn) lost her husband, George, in a bird-watching accident, and she is still adjusting to life alone. She gets visits from her niece Julie (Amy Keitt), whose idle-rich boyfriend Roger (Mike Bauerle) tags along, as well as her late husband’s business partner Charlie (Kevin Shadle). She also joined a social group, the Wandering Widows – Diane (Tanya Haas), Betsy (Veronique Duprey), and Jane (Dottie Ostby) – now that she qualifies for membership.

Charlie arrives from the bank with the contents of George’s safety deposit box, including his will. Margaret soon discovers that she has inherited a lot more than a plethora of bird portraits.

Williams once referred to the character of Margaret as “sweetly oblivious;” Wallyn plays her as smarter than she lets on, with enough eccentricity that we laugh more at her situation than at her. Keitt’s sweet Julie, being an investigative reporter, is suspicious enough for the both of them. She has feelings for Roger, but there’s something keeping her from accepting his frustratingly frequent marriage proposals. Bauerle keeps his character easy-going throughout, with a sense that there is more to him than he dares to reveal. Shadle gives Charlie an aw-shucks demeanor that appears to appeal to Margaret – as well as Diane. The trio of Haas, Duprey, and Ostby have fun chemistry akin to the “Golden Girls.”

Jan Jamison directs, as well as designing the set and costumes.

This charming, delightful play shows that getting older doesn’t mean life gets any less interesting – quite the contrary. Sometimes all you need are good friends, and a nice mink coat.  

“The Widow in Mink” runs Friday through Sunday, though Oct. 12, at 604 Powell St., Lebanon. Get info and tickets at centerstagecommunitytheatre.com.

Epilogue comedy brings new meaning to ‘juke joint’

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By Wendy Carson 

Epilogue Players whisks us away to a senior living center in Upstate New York for the Indiana premiere of Paul Stroili’s rollicking tale, “A Jukebox for the Algonquin.” It is billed as “a serious comedy about sex, drugs, and rocking chairs” yet not a single rocking chair is to be had in the show.

The entire show takes place in The Algonquin Room, one of the many meeting spaces available to the residents. Being such a large place, they split into three main tribes: Indies – those in Independent Living; Asses – in Assisted Living; and Longhorns –in Long-term care, here until the end.

Dennis (Duane Mercier) holds court in the room in much the way that Dorthy Parker ran her round table in the hotel the room is named for. His regulars consist of Johnny (Onis Dean), who has a wicked sense of humor and longs for a jukebox to fill the room with real music and Annie (Wendy Brown) a spitfire who would be quite dangerous if she wasn’t mostly blind. Occasional visits from Tyler (Grant Bowen), the orderly who tries, not too well, to hide his shadier side from everyone; and Josefina (Yolanda Valdivia), the woman in charge of everything, add some bits of spice to daily life.

However, the arrival of two new people brings about all the laughs and drama that anyone could hope for. We first meet Chuck (Albert E. Lahiman III), also known as “Dust Mop Guy.” Despite his quiet demeanor, he has more than enough emotional baggage to fill all the meeting rooms. Then comes Peg (Mary DeBoer), a new Indy who becomes the member of the table they never knew was missing.

Johnny’s quest to raise money for the jukebox hits a snag and all looks lost, until Peg’s efforts to identify the plants her hippie predecessor left behind brings about a lucrative herbal solution to their financial woes. Still, it’s only 2003 and such things are still illegal.

The whole show is exquisitely cast, and co-directors Therese Burns and Amanda Greene keep things rolling along even during the few moments when life steps in and kicks the players. This is a tender, sweet, and very funny look at aging with dignity.

So, pull up a chair at the round table and see whether the gang gets to dance to the living music of actual records – or continue to suffer the sad collection of 17 CDs (three of which are copies of Frampton Comes Alive).

Ticket sales have been brisk, and there is just one week of shows left, Thursday through Sunday, Sept. 18-21, at 1849 N. Alabama St. (corner of 19th and Alabama), downtown Indianapolis. Get info and tickets at epilogueplayers.com.

Getting help with all life’s ‘Stuff’

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By John Lyle Belden

It’s the easiest trap most of us fall into: You need to save this. You must hold on to that. I’m not finished reading this. I’ll get around to making something with that… Time passes, boxes stack up. And then there are the mementos – especially when they signify a time, place, and most importantly a person, no longer around.

Suddenly, people tell you that you have a problem.

Local playwright Jan White presents, with Actors Ink Theatre Company, her comic drama “Stufferage” at The District Theatre, directed by Sandra Gay, who founded Actors Ink decades ago, and now dedicates it to providing performance opportunities for “People Of a Certain Age.”

As White notes in the program, roughly six percent of people have some sort of hoarding disorder. This gets further complicated by aging as well as other likely mental issues. In the play, inspired in part by actual people and events, Marty (Chad Pirowski) persuades his aunt Georgia (Sheila Wright), a therapist, to come out of retirement to aid his mission-oriented business, Stop Stuffering, in honor of his recently-deceased mother (Georgia’s sister), a lifelong serious hoarder. His idea is to help others with similar issues to declutter and organize their stuff to better deal with their lives.

To seek interest, they set up a “Help for the Overwhelmed” Facebook group and in-person meeting. They already have one client, Barbara (Melody Ware), who refuses to leave her overflowing home so is ordered by a judge to at least attend via Zoom.

Arriving in person: Sarah (Mary Hardin) let things accumulate during the Covid isolation period and is still nervous about venturing out. Married couple Jim and Donna (Rob Young and Tina Nehrling) see each other as the problem – her overflowing craft room, his overstuffed garage – but with additional endless piles of mail and magazines, their adult children let them know it’s both of them. Mimi (Stephanie Reinert) is obsessed with puppets, but the ever-growing accumulation of pieces, projects, and finished figures has ironically taken control of her life. Darrell (Brian Shobe) misses his late wife and, after several months, can’t bear letting go of any of her possessions.

Rick Northam is handy as various supporting roles, crew director, and the foley for an opening scene that, with awkward humor, gives us a sense of how bad things get for the “stuffering” and those who love them.

The narrative shows us the various ways these characters work through their issues, both the accumulated objects in their homes and learning to “clear the clutter from your heart.” There are varying degrees of success, with Barbara – “I have a right to my stuff!” – being the most difficult, her unsettled personality nearly as colorful as the exploded flea market of her front yard. The excellent scenic design, including piles and stacks capable of moving on and off stage as needed, is by Carlos Teeters.

We get compelling performances all around. Pirowski and Wright portray sincere empathy – hers more professionally, his with the sense of a son who wishes he had helped his mother more. Hardin and Shobe each pull our heartstrings. Young and Nehrling add more humor than rancor to their couple who seem to have arguing as a love language. Reinert is endearing and an inspiration to crafters everywhere as Mimi strives to actually make some puppets! Ware takes on the most complex role with appropriate gusto while keeping Barbara’s mental issues true to life.

A light-hearted and hopeful look at a serious problem, experience “Stufferage” Thursday through Sunday at The District Theatre, 627 Massachusetts Ave., downtown Indianapolis. Get tickets at indydistricttheatre.org.

Epilogue’s ‘Mr. Green’ a memorable visit

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By John Belden

Being unaware of Epilogue Players’ “Visiting Mr. Green,” the self-described “comedy/drama” by Jeff Baron about a weekly appointment at the home of an 80-something single man, I wasn’t sure what to expect.

Well, this ain’t “Tuesdays with Morrie” – for one thing, our young adult Ross Gardner (Grant Bowen) arrives on Thursdays at the home of Mr. Green (Tom Bartley). This visitation isn’t sentimental, it’s court-ordered. Ross nearly ran over the old man with his car, and accepted fault and the judge’s unconventional version of community service.

To say Mr. Green is a curmudgeon would be putting it lightly. He’s very set in his ways, accustomed to being alone, and it’s hard to tell whether his mind is slipping or he wears distraction like a mask to hide his loneliness at the passing of his wife Yetta – “59 years, never an argument!” – months ago. He is a devout Jew, while Ross hasn’t done much with his faith since his bar mitzvah.

Bartley manages to portray this effectively without the distraction of aging makeup, brusque in his speech and manners, accompanied by slow but purposeful movement. He’s likable, but some of his attitudes challenge us – hard to brush off as just relics of another time or culture.

Ross tries hard to be accommodating. Bowen portrays him as frustrated, a people-pleaser at heart yet unable to find his own peace. We can tell he’s a good person caught in an awkward situation, something to which we can easily relate.

Over time, as one would expect, the two build a rapport of sorts, however a couple of personal revelations – one involving each of them – threaten to destroy their budding friendship. These visits become a compelling mix of gentle laughs and harsh words. As they both serve this unusual months-long sentence, they must find what – aside from Kosher soup – will be enough to heal their damaged souls.

The show is smartly directed by Mac Bellner with encouragement from Baron, whose recently completed second revision of his 1997 script is produced here.

This charming reflection on family, aging, and personal connections has performances Thursday through Sunday, April 10-13, at Epilogue, 1849 N. Alabama St., Indianapolis. Get tickets at epilogueplayers.com.

Exploring stories with Westfield’s ‘Geezers’

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By John Lyle Belden

As we age, the mind still spinning in a body that’s not doing as well, we develop our eccentricities. In other words, we become “Geezers.” That’s the name of the heartwarming comedy by Tommy Lee Johnston, now on stage with Main Street Productions in Westfield, directed by Lori Raffel.

Gina (Brenna Whitaker) has her hands full with the residents of Maple Leaf Retirement Community. Ray (Duane Leatherman) naps all day in the comfy chair with his favorite pillow but doesn’t miss any conversation around him. Likewise, Emily (Wendy Brown) seems a tad out of it, watching TV for the commercials whose jingles she sings along with, yet she pops into lucidity at random yet appropriate times. Neil (Chris Otterman) is both a curmudgeon and a prankster. Then there’s Kate (Jen Otterman), a former actor whose constant flirting went too far with a now-fired orderly.

Into this milieu, enter Jack (Adrian Blackwell), a twenty-something who had spent most of his life caring for his deaf mother, a former worker at Maple Leaf, and with her passed on, is given the chance to take her job assisting Gina. He has his own issues, with his circumstances having given him or enhanced traits that resemble the high-functioning end of the autism spectrum – especially communication issues and anxiety. His way of managing his world is to write. He is good, though has trouble coming up with original ideas. At Kate and Neil’s urging, Jack, reluctantly at first, takes on a project of writing stories from the residents’ lives.

We also meet Jenny (Debbie Underwood), who comes to visit Emily but fears she has missed her chance to make their long-overdue reconnection.

Jack takes in the stories by listening and visualizing them – thus we see younger versions of Kate (Alyssa Lay) who almost got a part in one of the worst B-movies of all time (and still regrets it); Neil (David Shaul), an Air Force logistics specialist, meaning he didn’t fly but had to drive through the hell of Vietnam; and Ray (Mike Sosnowski), who was faced with a heart-rending choice.

“The funny thing about the truth,” the elder Ray says, “it holds a high standard.”

We eventually get everyone’s stories, including Gina’s, and why she cries at the end of every shift. Whitaker gives a solid performance as a caretaker with a firm yet soft touch, seeing the residents practically as family – a balm for her own issues that she reveals to Jack. For his part, Blackwell handles his tricky, complex part well, ensuring that we laugh along with, not at, his difficulties.

When folks of a certain age feel free to say practically anything – and do – that generates plenty of laughs, and these “Geezers” don’t hold back. In a play that touches on a wide range of emotions, there is more than sufficient comedy relief.

Still, I must add a “trigger warning” for elements of self-harm, gun violence, and suicide.

Visiting hours are almost up. “Geezers” has four more performances, Thursday through Sunday, Feb. 13-16, at Basile Westfield Playhouse, 220 N. Union St. Get info and tickets at westfieldplayhouse.org.

‘Old Broads’ up to new tricks at Buck Creek

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By John Lyle Belden

Something’s not right at Magnolia Place senior assisted living facility.

Imogene (Gari Williams) is having “episodes” with memory lapses; Maude (Wendy Brown) has stopped bathing and obsessively plans her own funeral; and best friends Beatrice (Jan White) and Eaddy Mae (Cathie Morgan) need to get to the bottom of why, soon, so they’ll be on time for their planned cruise vacation.

Meet “Four Old Broads,” the comedy by Leslie Kimbell at Buck Creek Players. 

Feisty Beatrice and churchy Eaddy Mae suspect the problem is the hostile new facility director, Nurse Pat (Lauren Johnson), who is keeping all the residents’ medicine and doling it out to them. Since this started, a lot of folks have crossed over to the “dark side” ward with swiftly declining conditions. The ladies are offered help from aging Elvis impersonator Sam (David Mears), who still feels like a hunka-hunka burnin’ love.  At least new nurse Ruby Sue (Ruth Shirley) seems nice, if she can get her nose out of that trashy romance book.

A comedy, mystery, and maybe sly commentary on how we treat our elders, this show is full of laughs and surprises, directed by Tracy Friddle.

White as Beatrice is a force of nature, sporting a wild attitude with clothes to match. Morgan as Eaddy Mae is more a force of nurture, sweet and sensible, with frequent prayer breaks — acting as Beatrice’s conscience as well as her own. Williams as Imogene gets the most complex role, entertaining even when in an apparent coma. Brown’s Maude exasperates all on stage, especially with her attachment to her TV “stories,” further adding to the laugh factor. Mears as Sam seems like a bit much at first, but wins his way into our hearts, as well as one of the ladies. Shirley as Ruby Sue does a lot with what deceptively looks like a little role, and Johnson’s Pat is appropriately despicable. 

“I’m not trying to get into anyone’s personal business,” as Eaddy would say, but I’d advise getting up to stretch and take a break during intermission, as the play does run long. When the mystery is solved, there is still a scene to tie up other loose ends.

One weekend remains with the “Four Old Broads,” Friday through Sunday, Feb. 7-9, at the Buck Creek Playhouse, 11150 Southeastern Ave. (Acton Road exit off I-74); call 317-862-2270 or visit www.buckcreekplayers.com.

Life lessons continue for aging friends in IRT comedy

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By John Lyle Belden

Even after we’ve been around for decades, life can surprise or even shock us, and as long as we’re alive, we have to work out what’s next. In this spirit, “Morning After Grace,” by Carey Crim, a comedy with all the dramatic feels, appears on the Indiana Repertory Theatre stage. 

As the play opens, Abigail (Laura T. Fisher) and Angus (Henry Woronicz) experience a “morning after” following meeting at a funeral. Since they live in a retirement village in Florida, it’s not as unusual as you’d think. And while they are sorting things out, neighbor Ollie (Joseph Primes) pays a visit. From the beginning, misunderstandings and miscommunications bring about hilariously comic moments. 

Through the actors’ skill, and direction by IRT Artistic Director Janet Allen, this trio develop a wild, quirky chemistry that you get with people with so little in common thrust together. What they do share is a need to deal with loss, and with conflicts with those they now find it difficult to love. 

But another facet is how all three look forward — while acknowledging it being “of a certain age,” they each see a future: Abigail has a career as a counselor; Angus has a beautiful house and an opportunity to start over; and soon Ollie will put aside that cane he walks with and embrace life with his beloved. 

With all this depth, I must reiterate that this is a comedy; at times I nearly laughed myself blind. The trio execute the comic beats perfectly — for Woronicz especially refreshing to see the flip side of his dramatic acting in “12 Angry Men” last year.

The end result is like your favorite episode of a classic sitcom with serious undertones, like “MASH,” “Seinfeld,” “Mom,” or the similar “Cool Kids” — but with one well-placed F-bomb.

Escape the cold for this warm-hearted delight, through Feb. 9 at the IRT, 140 W. Washington in downtown Indy (near Circle Center). Call 317-635-5252 or visit irtlive.com.

And congratulations to Janet Allen for being named the Margot Lacy Eccles Artistic Director with the endowment of a $2 million gift to the IRT by the Eccles charitable fund. The late Ms. Eccles was an avid supporter and board member of the theatre.

Phoenix: Thinking of ‘The Children’

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By John Lyle Belden

“The Children,” the title of a recent Broadway drama by Lucy Kirkwood, now at the Phoenix Theatre, doesn’t seem to tell us much. There are no youngsters on the stage — in fact, the trio we meet are all in their 60s. But this play understands that when we are grown, if we’re not thinking of our children and what we would do for them, we often indulge in that child still within each of us.

On the English coast, at a time that could be now, we are in the aftermath of a disaster much like the one that occurred several years ago in Japan: the triple-shock of earthquake, tidal wave and a crippled nuclear power plant.

Hazel and Robin (Donna Steele and Charles Goad) were among the scientists who engineered the reactor, now they live on the very edge of the irradiated zone. They are visited by past friend and colleague (as well Robin’s lover) Rose (Diane Kondrat). Old memories and issues are brought up, leading to moments of friction. But even more devastating is the issue of what happens next.

Directed by Phoenix artistic director Bill Simmons, this veteran cast give excellent, layered performances. In Hazel, Steele presents a fastidious character who prides herself on her maturity, while staying young as possible through healthy eating and yoga. Goad’s Robin seems fondly attached to the farm he is having to give up, but his daily trips to the barn have a darker purpose. Kondrat, once again a woman of many facets, gives us a Rose who has come a long way from her impulsive youth to a woman who has faced her mortality and must finally think outside herself. Their interactions throughout the play crackle with energy that rivals the broken facility on their horizon.

The larger questions surrounding nuclear energy and the environment stay in the background, as the issues at play here are more personal — dealing with reconciling out pasts, facing our ends, considering the next generation, and what we all must do to make our actions and lives meaningful. Sometimes it takes a disaster to make us truly think of The Children, and to force us to finally grow up.

Performances run through May 19 on the smaller Basile stage of the Phoenix, 705 N. Illinois St. in downtown Indy. Call 317-635-7529 or visit phoenixtheatre.org.

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One last note (this did come up with an audience member at the preview performance): Though she is in the promotional photo, actor Jolene Mentink Moffatt does not appear in the play. The publicity picture was taken long before casting decisions were made, and aside from being not quite old enough for the roles, she was busy with her recent run on the Phoenix’s “Hotel Nepenthe.”

DivaFest: Bittersweet ‘Tomato’

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This is part of the 2019 Diva Fest, presented by IndyFringe at 719 E. St. Clair St., Indianapolis, through April 21. All shows are by women playwrights, presented as one-hour one-acts at a Fringe price. For information and tickets, see www.indyfringe.org.

By John Lyle Belden

In “I Say Tomato, You Say Cheese,” by MaryAnne Mathews, Tom Harrison is superbly charming as Joe Carpenter, an 85-year-old man living alone — aside from the spirit of his recently-passed wife, Annie (Wendy Brown) — as best he can.

Joe’s daughter Sarah (Laura Baltz) is getting concerned, as he tends to forget and lose track of things, and keeps getting into accidents while driving. The doctor (Stefanie Patterson) confirms that his cognitive abilities are indeed on the decline.

It doesn’t help the situation that there are constantly scammers out to take advantage of the elderly. The voice of the “IRS agent” on the phone Joe can deal with, with great humor. But the fast-talking roofing contractor (Joe Maratea) is a different matter.

Mathews’ gentle drama is an interesting look at this serious situation with characters we can relate to, or even feel we’re related to. The title refers to a family story melding the old song with the meal of tomato soup and toasted cheese — like this play, comfort food for the soul.

Remaining performances are 8:15 p.m. Friday and 3:30 p.m. Saturday (April 19-20).

Indyfringe: ‘Too Old to be This Young’

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This show is part of the 14th Annual Indianapolis Theatre Fringe Festival, a/k/a IndyFringe, Aug. 16-26, 2018 on Mass Ave downtown. Info, etc., at www.IndyFringe.org.

By John Lyle Belden

Laura Hedli recounts for us the year she lost her virginity – at age 26.

She hadn’t intended to wait so long. She just wanted the big moment to mean something, and other aspects of her life took up her time. Her writing career, for instance, which with a full-time part-time gig finally made her a ghost writer – to a ghost writer – to her boss. But behold, this job also comes with a hot coworker, and he is very interested in her. Though he seems like a bit of a tool to us listening to Laura’s story, he is just the thing to fix her undamaged virtue.

And the book that she is ghost-ghost writing? It’s on “age management medicine” for middle-aged and older men, especially testosterone therapy. This, naturally, leads to necessary research (including interviews) and writing on sex – you know, that thing she finally got to experience two days ago.

She also notes that the stable of writers she’s in hires young, and that as she approaches 30, she could “age out” of the age management business.

All this makes what could have been a mildly interesting workplace anecdote into an engaging hour of storytelling, with Laura slipping into a couple of characters including her boss, a randy Swedish man, and her beau, the man she calls “Broken.” It makes for a unique perspective on aging and how we confront and defy it. Come listen and see how well she expresses herself under her own name, as we explore whether a year of one’s life is worth reaching a significant personal milestone – and six words in a book’s Acknowledgements.

Laura relates her story one more time for us, 6 p.m. Monday, Aug. 20, at the IndyFringe Indy Eleven Theatre, 719 E. St. Clair, just off Mass Ave. and College.