By Nicole M. Robertson
There comes a time in some lives when a person goes from feeding the fish to feeling like the one trapped in a tank.
The aging residents of Placid Pines Senior Care Center in upstate New York would rather not end up as one of the floaters in “A Jukebox for The Algonquin.” The play, written by Paul Stroili, is having its world premiere as the final production of the Purple Rose Theatre’s 2022-23 season.
In this story, Johnny (played by Wallace Bridges of Ypsilanti) is a “crotchety old pain in the ass” from the Bronx, whose bad knees feel younger when he recalls the music of his youth. He’s determined to bring back those days by buying a Wurlitzer jukebox for the Algonquin Room, where he spends the best part of his days socializing with friends at the center.
Johnny, who believes there hasn’t been a good song written since 1977, says headphones killed dancing.
“You can’t walk up to a woman and say, ‘Here, put on these headphones.’ But you can drop a coin into the jukebox and take her hand.”
He looks forward to “small things that slow the slide to crazy town.”
Johnny had managed to scratch up $400 in donations toward a vintage Wurlitzer jukebox for sale on eBay — which should leave roughly $2,600 more to go. But he lost his seed money in attempts to double it in Atlantic City. There’s another matter in the way of his dream — a large fish tank filled with cold critters named for “persecuted” Americans such as Ethel and Julius Rosenberg. Johnny wants it gone, to make room for his Wurlitzer, and he argues vociferously with the center’s manager, Josefina (MaryJo Cuppone of Ann Arbor), who shouts over him to the delight of the opening night audience on July 14.
The situation shifts when Peg (Susan Angelo of Los Angeles) shows up one day, bearing forbidden Tollhouse cookies — Josefina has banned all food and drinks in the room on account of ants. Although she’s there to clean out her deceased mother’s condo, Peg becomes instrumental to the jukebox plan. When Johnny tells her he could arrange an accident for the fish (“Look at ’em — glassy-eyed, staring at the same four walls; what kind of existence is that?”) she passes a petition to move the tank to the lobby.
Another resident, Annie (Ruth Crawford of Ann Arbor), is a mischievous lady whose manic exercise routines and enthusiastic advocacy “for many causes” belies her age and relative blindness. But when it dawns on the residents that they may have a solution to their money problem that’s … well, a little illegal, she kind of freaks out.
Meanwhile, Johnny counsels maintenance man Tyler (Ethan May of Beverly Hills) to treat an elderly resident with more respect by calling her “Dr.” The 82-year-old former physician, who’s had a stroke, responds in a way Tyler least expects.
In small, intimate conversations — and sometimes in loud, shouted ones — each member of the ensemble cast contributes to a rich, emotional story about regrets and acceptance, friendship and mourning.
Dennis (John Seibert of Ann Arbor) sees their shabby round table as a less-glamorous throwback to the days of writer Dorothy Parker and her glittering “vicious circle” lunching daily at the Algonquin Hotel in the 1920s. He passes around a rare book of their writings, one of many he’s donated to the residents of Placid Pines.
A gay man who uses a wheelchair, Dennis says he misses looking directly into people’s eyes and sharing proper hugs. He admits to Chuck that in the 1960s, “we were ‘faggots’ then, and we were terrified.”
Chuck (Mark Colson of Detroit), a probationary “dustmop guy” with a deep backstory of his own, tells Dennis that his late wife was a Dorothy Parker fan, and they share a tender moment of understanding.
In the end, the widowed Johnny enlightens us all about the meaning of loss. “The flood of memories was like cool water when I was dying of thirst. Then it hit me: Don’t miss them — live them!”
Musical cues by Sound Designer Brad Phillips frame the play as a Muzak version of Sam Cooke’s “Twistin’ the Night Away” greets patrons entering the theater, followed by the real thing at a triumphant moment of the play. And hilarious PA announcements mark the days at Placid Pines (“Our Meg Ryan film festival continues with ‘You’ve Got Mail’ in two showings, at noon and after dinner at 4:30.”).
Lighting Designer Noele Stollmack indicates with a red glow on the actors’ faces where the jukebox — the MacGuffin of our story — would sit at the edge of the stage.
Stroili, a resident artist at Purple Rose, played Dr. Watson to Colson’s Sherlock Holmes in the three Holmes-Adler mysteries previously at the PRT. His brilliant play, a “serious comedy about sex, drugs, and rocking chairs” contains adult content and may not be suitable for children younger than 13.
It’s directed by Suzi Regan of Birmingham; set design by Bartley H. Bauer, properties by Danna Segrest, costumes by Suzanne Young; and Karen Anne George is the stage manager.
Performances of “A Jukebox for The Algonquin” run through Sept. 2 at The Purple Rose Theatre Company, 137 Park St., Chelsea. Tickets start at $30 with discounts for seniors, patrons 30 or younger, members of the military, teachers and groups of 12 or more. For more info or to make reservations call 734-433-7673 or visit purplerosetheatre.org.
MAIN PHOTO: Peg, played by Susan Angelo (from left), Annie (Ruth Crawford), Johnny (Wallace Bridges) and Dennis (John Seibert) check out a possible way to make a small fortune in The Purple Rose Theatre’s production of “A Jukebox for The Algonquin,” written by Paul Stroili. Photo by Sean Carter Photography
