Theater review: 'Boynton Beach Club: The Musical'

If you’ve checked into God’s waiting room or desire a sneak peak at the experience, you’re in luck. “Boynton Beach Club: The Musical” recently premiered at Manatee Players. It’s a tuneful adaptation of director Susan Seidelman’s 2005 movie, with a book by Seidelman, music by Ned Paul Ginsburg and lyrics by Michael Colby. It’s ideal fare for the old and the old at heart.

Seriously, folks.

Like the film, the new musical revolves around the “Boynton Beach Bereavement Club” — a support group for those who’ve lost their loved ones. (Like the movie, the musical wisely clips that depressing implication out of the title.) But it’s really the heart of the matter. Can you move on? That’s the big question.

Director Rick Kerby keeps a multitude of plates spinning in the air. The musical’s stuffed with several storylines — and leaps from laughter to tears in an instant. Kerby does an excellent job with its crowded narrative and constant shifts in tone. The Boynton Beach Bereavement Club may be interesting. But it’s not small.

It’s a huge cast production. I’d need a retirement community bus to pack everybody in. So I’ll stick with highlights.

Ellen Kleinschmidt’s Sandy is a sweet kid who pretends the husband who’d divorced her dropped dead. She falls for Jack (Rodd Dyer) — an everyman whose wife actually died — though he keeps pretending she hasn’t. Al Jackson’s Harry is a widower and a 60-something Italian charmer. In his mind, he’s a grey-haired reincarnation of John Travolta’s “Saturday Night Fever” character. When a sweet young thing (Michelle Anaya) falls for Harry, you know it’s too good to be true. Hilariously, Harry doesn’t. Meg Newsome’s Marilyn is still getting over her husband’s senseless death — the casualty of a distracted driver yapping on a cellphone. Nancy Denton’s Lois falls in love with Donald (Brian Kleinschmidt), a nice guy, who’s a few decades younger. Lois lies about her age; Donald lies about his profession. Surprise, surprise.

Not surprisingly, the musical translates all these lives to song and dance. The best numbers are funny, moving or both. “Dirty Old Men” features a kick-line of geriatric patients in flimsy hospital gowns, wheeling IV tubes around, and exposing their simulated posteriors. (It’s probably the least sexy dance routine ever staged, and hilarious.) “Dancing on the Sand” sweetly showcases two second-chancers who kick off their shoes. Outside of modern dance, it’s rare to see bare feet tripping the light fantastic on stage. It’s a charming, authentic moment. “Cook Italian” sizzles with witty tongue-twister involving pasta permutations. “Not Gonna Live in My Heart” is a funny/angry anthem of jilted, exploited, ignored, invisible, patronized women of a certain age. “All I Need” is genuinely touching.

Those are a few of the standout songs. A few others get lost in the crowd. Colby’s lyrics are clever — and you can tell what heartstrings they’re plucking. Ginsburg’s compositions have a 1970s light-rock sameness to them. Musical director William Coleman does his best to take it up a notch. Doing double-duty as the choreographer, Kerby gets the cast dancing to Coleman’s beat. Kerby’s got a great sense of invention and never does the literal, obvious thing. And there are other creative touches …

Ken Mooney’s clubhouse set is a Rubik’s cube that transforms into bedrooms, streets, or restaurants, as the scene requires. Becky Evan’s costumes are larger than life and far more colorful. People (even people) only dress this way in musicals. But drab, documentary realism is never all that fun.

All that talent is supposed to serve the story. So what’s the story? Well, that’s where it gets complicated …

The musical’s narrative structure echoes the movie’s. If my count is accurate: four story lines, involving four on-and-off couples trying to find love in their life’s last act. Instead of one journey, several parallel pilgrimages. Chaucer pulled it off, but it’s hard. Too many stories can feel like no story — just vignettes and sketches that don’t come together. The first act feels that way sometime. The second act finally snaps into focus. The stakes start to matter. The inevitable happy ending actually touches you.

The Manatee Players definitely gets the audience smiling. Not easy, considering the tough topics this musical explores …

 “Boynton Beach Club” shines a compassionate light on the experiences of older people who are suddenly single. They’ve got all the problems of teenagers on the dating scene — and the problems of the AARP contingent, besides. It wasn’t easy the first time around, and hasn’t gotten any easier now. Does love have a second act? In the world of this musical, the answer is “yes … usually.” Not every 60-something Jack finds his Jill. But that’s no reason to stop looking.

Ironically, this is a new musical about old people. Like all newborns, it has room to grow. But it’s off to a very good start.