The Village Players production of Quartet will change your perception of senior citizens.
The comedic drama follows 4 retired opera singers who deal with the harsh realities of aging when an ex-wife shows up and causes friction.
“It’s a really beautiful play about growing old with dignity, which is really what drew me to it,” said Jeff Allbright, director.
“I have older parents, and I’ve always been interested in that whole process as I’m going through it with them,” said Allbright. “We often throw senior citizens to the wayside as a forgotten population, and this play really shows how vital they can be.”
According to Allbright, Toledo has a rich population of older actors who don’t get enough opportunities to showcase their abilities.
Carol Ann Erford plays Cissy, a character in the beginning stages of Alzheimer’s. Erford claims although Cissy is comic relief, she’s a very layered character who can move audiences to tears as quickly as laughter.
“It’s wonderful to see how these older characters react to each other,” said Erford. “Audiences will see bits and pieces of themselves and their parents in these roles, especially those approaching mature age.”
Erford claims that her passion for acting began in the 60s, when there weren’t nearly as many performance opportunities for younger folk.
“It was ensemble learning back then, which comes in handy with a show like this because if one person gets hung up on a line, someone else can jump in and save them,” said Erford.
An interesting challenge for John Duvall, who plays Reginald Paget, is portraying a character 30 years outside his range.
“It’s a new thing for me. I think the majority of it is through body language and facial expressions,” said Duvall. “It’s all elevated by makeup, but we really don’t rely too heavily on that.”
Duvall claims this play explores how no senior citizen is just another face in the crowd, and everyone you see has an interesting story to tell about their life as a whole.
“You’re not always an old person. Everyone has a history, and this play talks a lot about that. For me, as a younger actor playing someone so old, it really made me think,” said Duvall.
With 30 years of directing experience, Allbright finds that his equal passion for acting gives him an advantage with his cast.
“It helps because we all speak the same sort of language, so there’s a level of intuitiveness about the process,” said Allbright.
Quartet plays Sept 12-13, 17-19 at 8pm and Sept 14 at 2pm. The Village Players are located at 2740 Upton Ave. Tickets are available at 419-472-6817.
