By Cynthia Citron
BURBANK, California — It’s a hoot! And with this one, the performers are having as much fun as the audience. It’s Rockin’ With The Ages 3 – the Musical, presenting a cast between the ages of 60 and 86 with the energy and stamina of teenagers. They bounce and high-kick and twist and twirl. They sing like a whole chorus of Ethel Mermans. And the audience is out of breath long before any of them are. Not what you’d expect at all from such a stable group of solid citizens “of a certain age.”
The show, an annual production for the past three years, is the brainchild of Jackie Goldberg, the “Pink Lady” behind Senior Star Power, which produces the high-stepping musical. Written by Bill Reid and Mark Rodriguez, this year’s plot centers around Le Club Roc, a neighborhood hangout owned by John (Tom Weaver) and his wife Ronnie (Pattie Brooks) that is about to go into foreclosure.
The “regulars” who show up to sing and dance and schmooze immediately go into rescue mode and decide to stage a fundraiser. And that’s about all there is to the plot. But who cares? These performers are all seasoned professionals with a combined total of at least a thousand years of experience on the stage and screen, and to watch them bring all that talent to the Victory Theatre in Burbank is a rare treat indeed.
As producer Goldberg insists, “Age is just a number! People are vital at any age, and what I’m doing is giving them a venue so that they can see for themselves what they are still able to offer the world.” And, she adds, “The show was designed to demonstrate what seniors can do, and it makes everyone—the audience as well as the performers—feel good. “
The “regulars” include Phyllis Lovit, Marvin Meisler, Dominick Morra, Agnes Pagan, Ivor Pyres, Ruben Rabasa, Bobbi Stamm, and Carol Woodbury, with special featured performances by Meg Wilson, Vernon Ellsworth and Evelyn Stokes, Carol and Douglas Halter, and Sue Smart.
They are backed up by a five-piece band led by musical director and keyboard artist Mark Rodriguez, directed by co-writer Bill Reid, and choreographed by Raquel Brussolo. And tromping the boards of a colorful set designed and constructed by Dove Huntley.
You don’t have to be over 60 to enjoy this musical—but it certainly can give you a boost if you are!
Rockin’ With The Ages 3 – the Musical will continue at the Victory Theatre, 3326 W. Victory Blvd., in Burbank, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays at 2 through May 1st. Call (818) 606-6679 for tickets or go online to PinkLady7@earthlink.net.
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Citron is Los Angeles bureau chief for San Diego Jewish World. She may be reached at cynthia.citron@sdjewishworld.com