“Growing old ain’t for sissies,” Bette Davis sassily quipped. This charming off-Broadway revue, welcoming Baby Boomers into the ranks of Senior Citizenry, walks the delicate tightrope between nostalgia and joie de vivre in the face of wrinkles, grandchildren, and bypass surgery.
Saul Ilson , the mastermind behind the musical comedy revue Don’t Leave it All to Your Children, has over 40 years writing for the likes of Billy Crystal, Bill Cosby and the Smothers Brothers Hour. The show’s 90 minutes of skits and songs are fast-paced and reminiscent of both The Smothers Brothers and Rowan and Martin’s “Laugh-In.”
The four showbiz veterans who star in the show are poster children for an energetic, optimistic old age. Particularly zesty was Barbara Minkus (remember her in “Love American Style?”) In strong youthful voice she reminds us to hold on to “old memories” and “young hopes.” Later, in a song entitled “A Singles Cruise,” she sings about dozens of aging ladies competing for the handful of male passengers. Marcia Rodd (a Tony nominee for Shelter) instructs her peers in the song “March In the Parade” not to “sit at home and ferment.” Both ladies sound and look terrific. No fermenting here.
Steve Rossi (of “Allen & Rossi” fame) has a star-turn reminiscing about his many appearances on the Ed Sullivan Show. Ronnie Schell, who’s had a long career in everything from stand-up comedy to television to cartoon voice-overs, is the off-Broadway reincarnation of Johnny Carson in his delivery of one-liners: “If you connect the age spots on this hand, they spell ‘Old Fart’,” or, “Hugh Hefner still has a different woman every night…they’re called nurses.”
The show promises to give baby boomers “a taste of what they have to look forward to.” Although some of the cultural references either went over my 50-something head or were more appropriate for my parents’ generation, the mostly 70-something audience members at the intimate off-Broadway Actors Temple Theatre enjoyed themselves thoroughly. For those of us who are not in the same “vibe” or age group, we can still enjoy the energy, talent, laughs, and good will of the spirited performances and writing in Don’t Leave It All To Your Children.
By Wendy Sanderson
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