L to R Bob Sanders, Ellen Phelps, Kenneth Johnson and Elizabeth Rule. Photo by North Shore Camera Club.
HighlyRrecommended
In case you think that “A Jukebox for the Algonquin” is merely about an old people’s care center, the phrase listed under the title is a hint to what the show at Citadel Theatre in Lake Forest is really about.
Well directed by Scott Westerman it takes place in upstate New York’s Placid Pines Senior Care Center where a recreation room is dominated by a fish tank that you don’t see but can imagine as a handful of residents feed the fish or refer to it.
They decide a much better use of the space would be a jukebox they could use to play tunes and dance to. They hear of a second-hand Wurlitzer but how would they pay for it? You get the how idea at the end of Act I as they learn what is among the stuff being cleaned out of a room there just vacated.
They are residents Johnny ( Kenneth Johnson) somewhat of a leader of the group, his good friend Dennis (Bob Sanders), Annie (Ellen Phelps) who has an over-the top personality and BTW is Citadel’s co-producer, and Peg who bakes cookies (Elizabeth Rude who also plays Mrs. McDarren, a visitor who is checking out the facility).
Also on the set are Chuck, a knowledgeable and funny janitor (Patrick Thornton), and the facility’s staff members, Josefina who often pops in (Karla Corona) and Tyler (Joshua Thomas).
Written by Paul Stroili, the plot reminds us there is more to senior citizens and growing old than gazing at the TV or a large fish tank.
I like that scenic designer Catalina Nino kept the setting simple and that costume Danielle Reinhardt stayed with normal, wearable clothes so that the audience could focus on the words and actions.
DETAILS: “A Jukebox for the Algonquin” is at Citadel Theatre, 300 S. Waukegan Rd., Lake Forest, IL. now through May 18, 2025. Running time: 2 hours with one intermission. For tickets and other information call 847-735-8554, x1, or visit www.citadeltheatre.org.
Jodie Jacobs
For more shows visit Theatre in Chicago