By ALEX MILLER
In the Algonquin Room of the Placid Pines Senior Care Center, a small group of New Yorkers gather to chat, drink coffee or juice and tell the same old stories. On one side of the room is an aquarium, the inhabitants of which mirror those on the other side of the glass: trapped, confronted with the same-ol’ same-ol’ each morning and waiting for that inevitable day when they go belly-up and are unceremoniously disposed of.
It’s an imperfect mirror, of course, since humans have this thing called hope — not to mention a sense of humor. And it’s those two things that keep A Jukebox for the Algonquin from being just another story about old folks on their way out the door.
Every once in a while, a show comes along that was put together with so much love, collaboration and talent that it’s hard to even know where to start. Such is the case with this regional premiere of Paul Stroili’s play now on stage at Miners Alley Performing Arts Center (MAP) in Golden, Colorado.
MAP artistic director Len Matheo expertly helms this one, starting with a bangup cast of locals and Stroili himself playing maintenance guy Chuck. In only its third production since premiering last year at Jeff Daniels’ Purple Rose Theater in Michigan, the show now up at MAP benefits not only from a great cast but also from the new facility’s larger stage. Here, scenic designer Jonathan Scott-McKean had all the room he needed to create a highly realistic set perfect in every detail.
Even within the senior center, we learn the Algonquin Room is a little-used place largely forgotten as bigger and better community spaces have been built in the complex. But it’s perfect for Annie (Edith Weiss), Dennis (Chris Kendall) and Johnny (Dwayne Carrington) who prefer the peace and quiet. The other resident who begins frequenting the Algonquin comes from a younger wing of the facility. Peg (Abby Apple Boes) is looking from some quiet herself, and the group soon embraces her as one of their own despite her relative youth.
The jukebox in question is the dream of Johnny, who’s started a donation jar trying to raise money to buy a vintage Wurlitzer. For him, a jukebox is a life-affirming machine that can transform the room from a dusty diorama frozen in time to a place of joy, dance, activity and remembrance.
But he’s a few thousand dollars away from having the money to buy one, and the rest of the fixed-income crowd isn’t in any position to help.
Seeing the older crowd in a new way
As Stroili told me in our recent podcast interview, the kernel of the story came from decades ago when he and his brother were working at a senior center prior to entering college. What he thought would be a drag — hanging around old folks — became an eye-opening lesson in humanity that he carried with him for many years before turning it into a play. At its heart, Jukebox isn’t about a jukebox, or aging or death or illness — although they’re all part of it. It’s about friendships, passion, regret and hope.
The oldest Algonquin member — wheelchair-bound Dennis — delivers plenty of barbed one-liners about aging. Kendall is one of the Colorado theatre community’s great treasures, and he brings an avuncular warmth to the role that belies Dennis’ crusty NY exterior. Kendall’s delivery is typically measured and concise, making him a natural for the role as the elder statesman in the room who’s also skilled at the dry delivery of laugh lines.
Whatever his age, Johnny is full of fire and purpose. Carrington — another well-known figure on the Colorado stage — portrays Johnny as a can-do everyman who’s just trying to make his little corner of the world better. He’s also got plenty of great comic lines while also serving as the lead Wurlitzer evangelist. And he also has his own tangled story about the world outside, the one left behind, that haunts him still.
Edith Weiss may not be as familiar a face on local stages, but damn she nails the role of sweet, anxious Annie. This is very much an ensemble piece, but Weiss walks away with a number of scenes due to the likeable goofiness she projects so deftly. She may seem a caricature at first, but the actor imbues Annie with a realness achieved by seeming a bit unreal. Simultaneously scattered yet hyper-focused on whatever task is at hand, she’s the ideal foil for the other female in the room, Peg.
Also on edge but more even-keeled, Abby Apple Boes plays Peg beautifully as the lady next door — a regular Jane trying to make sense of the politics of Placid Pines inside and outside of the Algonquin.
Overseeing the whole scene is Arlene Hicks as the center’s administrator, Josefina. In her program bio, Hicks notes that she’s been on hiatus from acting, but this performance shows no sign of any rust. Calm, compassionate and efficient, Josefina still runs into resistance when the rules bump up against the strong-willed Algonquinites, and Hicks really hits her stride in a scene where the buttoned-up admin finally blows her top.
On the periphery are the two maintenance guys: Stroili as ex-con Chuck and MAP mainstay John Hauser as Tyler. Chuck is a character with a heavy past that comes out after a lame, repeated wife-joke by Johnny sets him off. As the youngest guy in the room, Tyler has plenty of wry observations Hauser delivers with his signature wit.
A New York story
Much of the humor at the heart of Jukebox comes from the New Yorkers’ unique form of communication. The script has a hint of Neil Simon to it inasmuch as the dialogue is sharp and sardonic, but Stroili has an added layer of warmth that makes it much more than a simple comedy. Thankfully, the decision was made to convey that East Coast flavor without attempting to do the accents.
So what about that jukebox? It takes a bit of a deux ex machina in the form of a certain plant to address the funding problem — even as some of the story behind its hoped-for presence is reduced through another situation. It’s ultimately a satisfying and touching ending that resulted in plenty of sniffles throughout the theatre.
Unsurprisingly, the older members of the audience I was in seemed to enjoy the show a good deal, laughing at things that likely soared over the heads of the under-50 crowd. But it’s not just for the seniors; my 22-year-old son enjoyed it as well. A Jukebox for the Alongquin is a perfect script for Miners Alley, with the added bonus of having the playwright as part of the process and the opportunity to get some of the area’s best talent in one place. You’ll enjoy the laughs, but it’s the individual stories and how they interconnect that really make this one special.
If You Go
What: ‘A Jukebox for the Alongquin’ by Paul Stroili
Where: Miners Alley Performing Arts Center, Golden
When: March 1-April 7
Runtime: 2 hrs. w/intermission
Directed by: Len Matheo
Featuring: Abby Apple Boes, Edith Weiss, Arlene Hicks, Chris Kendall, Dwayne Carrington, Paul Stroili, John Hauser
Stage manager: Lexi Holtzer
Scenic design: Jonathan Scott-McKean
Costumes: Crystal McKenzie
Lighting: Vance McKenzie
Sound: John Hauser
Alex Miller is editor and publisher of OnStage Colorado
