Beatrice, Eaddy Mae, Imogene and Maude are living their not quite best retired lives at Magnolia Place Assisted Living.
Beatrice needs a vacation and wants Eaddy Mae to take a break from praying to board a cruise ship through the Caribbean. Imogene is losing her memory and Maude is planning her funeral.
On top of all that, they have to deal with Sam, a retired Elvis impersonator whose carnality is still rampant, and the wicked Nurse Pat, who’s stealing patients’ medications and selling them on the side.
“Four Old Broads,” by Leslie Kimbell, opens Friday at Funky Little Theater Company. It runs through June 22 at Westside Community Center.
“It’s definitely a comedy,” said director Karen C. Kennedy.
Longtime local actors Mary Sprunger-Froese and John Longo star in the seven-person cast, but the rest of the actors are new to the theater scene: Gayle Abe, Leslie O’Neil, Marty Rapp, Suzanne Lucas and Dayna Webb.
Funky’s founder and producing artistic director Chris Medina chose the show due to the senior population at Westside Community Center. He wanted a female-centric cast to counteract the company’s earlier production of “12 Angry Men.”
“We believe theater is for everyone,” he said. “Six out of the seven cast members are 60+, so we hit the nail on the head for representing the senior population.”
The playwright also wanted to write something for the senior community to perform, she told BroadwayWorld.com in 2017, and based her Beatrice and Eaddy Mae characters on her grandmother and aunt.
“Senior actors are often overlooked in live theater. There are not a lot of parts, good parts, leading roles for seniors, particularly senior women,” Kimbell said.
“I wanted to write something that celebrates seniors and portrays them as vivacious and funny, active and important. My characters are not little old ladies sitting around at a quilting bee talking about the weather. These ladies are funny, sassy and sexy.”
Kennedy, who’s directed and acted with Funky before, retired eight years ago from Lewis-Palmer High School where she taught theater for more than three decades. There are a few differences between directing older actors and teens.
“I joke because I say I can’t get my teacher on with volunteer actors,” she said. “There are a lot of similarities and differences. Older actors have many more opinions and you have to deal with personal issues in making sure everyone is safe and all that.”
But it’s also heartening.
“It’s cool to see some older actors on stage. It’s a strong female cast,” Kennedy said. “And ladies playing their actual ages is amazing.”
