Overview
SENIOR LIVING is a play with music about people dying to live.
At Riverdale Manor, a retirement community in the Bronx, seniors contemplate the possibility of dying from a broken heart, if divorce is even worth it at a certain age, and when is the right time to have sex again. A talent show, with the promise of cake for dessert, sets the scene for a series of life-changing vignettes that debate what to do with the time we have left.
Casting & Production
Casting
This play works best when performed with a minimum of 6 actors (3W, 3M) and a maximum of 19. It can be done with 5 actors, (3W, 2M) but will require an alternate script with voice-overs introducing the talent show acts in order to allow enough time for costume changes in certain places.
Production Notes
SENIOR LIVING was first read for the public on March 11, 2019 at the Cherry Lane Theatre, where it was directed by Judith Ivey. The cast was comprised of Paul Deboy (Paddy, Steve, Lou), Zach Grenier (Alan, Richard, Brobson, Man), Mary Beth Peil (Lily, Carol, Ellen), Erika Rolfsrud (Susan, Harriet, Edith, Woman), Debra Jo Rupp (Lynn, Alice Angelina), Susan Slatin (Denise, Shirley, Mary), and David Wohl (Robert, Joe, Morty). Antonio Fermin accompanied on piano, Denise Yaney was the stage manager, and Greg Clary read stage directions. Angelina Fiordellisi was the artistic director.
*Note: This reading included several characters that were later cut and/or combined with existing characters.
The professional premiere production of SENIOR LIVING was produced by Portland Stage Company (Anita Stewart, Executive & Artistic Director) in Portland, Maine, opening on January 28, 2022. It was directed by Judith Ivey; the assistant director was Meredith Healy; the set design was by David Goldstein; the lighting design was by SeifAllah Salotto-Cristobal; the costume design was by Vanessa Leuck; the sound design was by John ‘JoMo’ Morrison; the prop mistress was Meg Anderson; the wigs were designed by Bobbie Zlotnik; the stage manager was Meg Lydon. The cast: Cynthia Barnett,Grace Bauer,Beth Glover,Steve Vinovich,David Wohl and John Morrison.
