Something for Everyone from 45 – 90!

Mid/Life: the Crisis Musical
By Bob Walton and Jim Walton
Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre
Directed & Choreographed by Bob Walton
Musical Direction by A. Scott Williams
August 6 – September 26, 2009

     Clever is the best word I can find to describe the musical antics now being staged at Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre! The premiere Valley production of MID LIFE: THE CRISIS MUSICAL is a smashing success and anyone over 45 should make haste to see it before the end of September. From mammograms to prostrate exams, from hair loss for men to chin hairs for women, from blurred vision to short term memory loss – somewhere you will find yourself in the witty barbs leveled at the onset of middle age during this lusty yet charming musical revue.

      The fun begins as you settle down after a satisfying meal and begin to look at the stage set. An archway surrounding the proscenium is in the shape of a clock and numerous and varied clock faces also adorn the side panels on stage. Two eye charts give us a changing glimpse of some of the subjects which will be skewered by the six person singing ensemble during the show. The talented cast includes Jeff Duncan, Francesca Amari, Chuck Caruso, Elizabeth Loos, Andy Kopec, and Jenny Hollander Carosiello.  Never a Broadway production, this exciting script is representative of the new wave of independent theater which has been so prevalent for a few years. The show began in Chanhassen, MN and traveled to the East Coast only for a Fringe type festival. Now it is making the rounds of middle America where its subject matter can be enjoyed by the madding crowd. It is not an “in” show; it is you and me at our lovable best, in the midst of the baby boomer explosion reaching middle age and senior citizen status.

     The show, of course is a Mecca for middle aged actors, who often have difficulty finding good parts. This one is ready made for 3 couples who portray varying roles and relationships. In a Saturday Night Live format (or ‘Laugh In’ for those of us with longer memories), the foibles of middle age are attacked one by one in a purely musical format. No dialogue is necessary for the audience to get the point that time is fleeting and most of our youthful faculties are falling apart. Biological clocks are running out for some while others bemoan the fact that “sonny boy” is still living at home at 22. Some look in the mirror and scream – “I’m turning into my father!” Some use botox look-alikes to make them look younger; some get lasik surgery. You get the idea…everyone is looking for the fountain of youth and no one is finding it. Turning the big 50 is as traumatic as it gets.

     One of the best things about the show is that, with the exception of  three or four questionable “bad” words and one scene in which three divorcees reveal what went wrong with their marriages, the show is in very good taste. There is very little which would be offensive to sensitive viewers. The humor is clever and mostly clean as a whistle. As a matter of fact, by the end of the evening, the tenor of the show changes so much that it is a bit of a let down. Two of the last segments are entitled At the Park and The Long Goodbye and they deal with the relationship of the mid lifers to their parents. Although there are a few laughs, these two are almost sad in overall emotion, and they leave you with a melancholy feel so unlike the rest of the show. In the final song, the atmosphere is completely serious as the ensemble emphatically states that for the rest of their lives, they will be better and when they reach 60, they will have no regrets. It is a major switch which is not necessarily bad but does put a little bit of a damper on the hilarity which preceded.

     All in all, this show is definitely a winner – funny, energetic, meaningful and an excellent evening’s entertainment. Try not to miss it!