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New Circa musical examines middle-age woes
Posted Online: Sept. 02, 2009, 7:37 pm
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By Jonathan Turner, jturner@qconline.com
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Songs about a prostate exam, mammogram, LASIK surgery, Alzheimer's, menopause and divorce are all in store for Circa '21 audiences who check out its latest production, "Mid-Life! The Crisis Musical." Opening Friday and running through Nov. 7, the 2006 musical by Broadway veterans and brothers Bob and Jim Walton takes a lighter look at the aging process. It is "filled to bursting with outrageous comedy, moving sentiment, and the talents of a winning team of professional actors," Circa spokesman Brett Hitchcock said. The songs celebrate (and poke gentle fun at) forgetfulness, reading glasses and menopause, but "also touch on the sentimental wisdom that the later years afford us," he said. The travails of growing older are reflected in songs such as "Biological Clock," "Side Effects," "What Did I Come In Here For?" and "Weekend Warriors." The show -- which premiered in 2006 and ran for 19 months at Chanhassen Dinner Theatres in suburban Minneapolis -- aims to show that laughter truly is the best medicine for all that ails us. "Mid-Life" is directed by longtime Circa ‘21 helmer Ann Nieman, whose credits there include "Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story," "Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat," "Grease" and "West Side Story." Three men in the production – Brad Hauskins, John Ladson II and Tom Walljasper – should be familiar to frequent guests of the Rock Island venue. In addition to his role as head Bootlegger for the theater"s performing wait staff, Mr. Hauskins has appeared in such Circa ‘21 productions as "The Full Monty," "Empty Nest," "Smoke on the Mountain" and "Almost Heaven: The Songs of John Denver," and directed family musicals including "Miss Nelson Is Missing," "Beauty & the Beast" and "Aladdin." As an on-stage musician, Mr. Ladson has been seen in the theater"s "Cats," "Are We There Yet?" and "Ring of Fire: The Johnny Cash Musical," and is the percussionist again for "Mid-Life." Mr. Walljasper was most recently Captain Hook in Circa"s production of "Peter Pan," and is a veteran of "Church Basement Ladies," "A Wonderful Life" and "Don"t Dress for Dinner." Joining them are four actors making their area debuts on the Circa ‘21 stage: Paul Gregory Nelson, whose credits include "42nd Street," "Victor/Victoria" and "Footloose: The Musical"; Kathi Osborne, of "Anything Goes," "Lend Me a Tenor" and "The Full Monty"; Carrie SaLoutos, from "The Wizard of Oz," "A Chorus Line" and "Singin" in the Rain," and Jessica Swersey, a veteran of "Dames at Sea," "Follies" and "Seussical." All their credits are in professional productions, and none is from the Quad-Cities. For more information on "Mid-Life," visit www.midlifethecrisismusical.com. -- If you go -- What: "Mid-Life! The Crisis Musical." -- When: Opens Friday; through Nov. 7; performances at 1:30 and 7:45 p.m. Wednesdays, 7:45 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays , and 5:45 p.m. Sundays, preceded by a buffet. -- Where: Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse, 1828 3rd Ave., Rock Island. -- Tickets: $39 for matinees; $42 Wednesday evening; $44.50 Friday through Sunday. Reduced prices for students and groups of 12 or more. Call (309) 786-7733, ext. 2 (for groups, (309) 786-2667, ext. 305 or 306), or visit www.circa21.com. 
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