Overview
Are you ready for some laughs? Soak up the good life in Boca Raton, a city that offers the fountain of youth. In this Garden of Eden, the sun always shines, the lawns are always manicured, and the weather holds steady at a perfect 75, just like Boca’s well-maintained seniors. Boca is a series of short intertwining comedies that follow a group of retirees in a fictional retirement community, the Boca Oasis, who, between rounds of golf, bridge and botox, discover the key to happiness lies within their very community.
Casting & Production
Casting
Double-casting is as follows:
MO — 70s, a northeast transplant with such a sunny disposition, like he might break out in song at any moment. He’s like Jimmy Buffet in Hawaiian shirts, shorts and seems vaguely stoned / high on life.
BRUCE — 70s, a corporate lawyer, decisive, assertive. A sharp dresser. An avid golfer with a 10 handicap. After his wife’s recent passing, he is one of the most eligible widowers in Boca.
MARTY — 70s, former Brooklyn boy of Romanian descent, obsessed with all things New York. A curmudgeon, who hunches like a pretzel. He’s unhappily married to Deann. He wears a Yankees hat.
ROBBIE — 60s, one of the sexiest Boca Bros in the development. A podiatrist, who is amiable and easygoing and 100% in love with his wife, Susan.
STAN — the ancient treasurer for the Condo board. Maybe he’s 90, maybe he’s 105, it’s impossible to tell. His dog is Tippy.
SUSAN — 60s, a nice Catholic girl, Wellesley alum, former kindergarten teacher from an upscale Connecticut suburb. After all of those storytimes with children, she’s Boca’s version of Mr. Rogers, remarkably expressive in her daily life. She wears blue.
DEANN — 60s, former Fortune 500 CEO, everything about her is tight—her personality, her body, her face (she can no longer blink). She has a biting personality.
JANET — 70s, the sweetest / ditziest / most innocent Boca Babe (think Betty White). She’s from Queens and on the hunt for a fourth husband in Boca. She is well-preserved by whatever means necessary (god-given or man-made). Stylish, made up, with hair well-coiffed.
IRIS — 70s, the sullen wife of the very sunny Mo—after 48 years of marriage, she finds his optimism oppressive. She’s no-bullshit and her dry sense of humor borders on rude.
LOUISE — 60s, a yoga instructor who talks and walks like she’s in the studio all the time. She is in desperate need of her own spiritual awakening. She is single, fragile, on edge. She wears yoga clothes.
ELAINE — 70s, a feisty, straight-talking Italian divorcee. Very competent (you want a dinner party for 30 in 2 hours? Elaine’s got you covered!). Former smoker, she has three Pomeranians.
Setting
Time
Present day.
Place
The Boca Oasis: Where Life Begins. A fictional, exclusive, gated, senior community in Boca Raton. Known for palm trees and endless blue skies, this is where New Yorkers retire so that, after a life of working hard, they can (finally!) play hard.
Reviews
“Boca is both funny and at times quite surprisingly touching… Blessedly devoid of all forms of moralizing…a la Neil Simon.”
—The Wall Street Journal
“A chuckle-fest as well-constructed and skillfully executed as any episode of The Golden Girls, The Mary Tyler Moore Show or a Carol Burnett skit… This play is going to be done a hundred times.”
—Florida Theatre On Stage
“One of the funniest plays I’ve seen.”
—The Westfield News
Media
