The lure of the stage.
“You know, once you start, it’s in your blood,” says Maggie Doyle with the Freedom Village Players.
That lure lasts even into old age.
Fran and Maggie Doyle produce and direct shows at Freedom Village at Brandywine, a senior lifecare community in Chester County.
They founded the Players eight years ago, and it features residents of the Freedom Village community, some of them into their 90s, in once-a-year show performances for their fellow residents.
Last week, on March 6, the troupe offered up a senior version, Guys and Dolls SR.
Guys and Dolls Sr. is part of Music Theatre International’s award-winning Broadway Senior collection, which features adaptations of popular Broadway musicals specifically developed for the needs and abilities of adult performers 55 and over.
The Broadway Senior collection currently includes: Guys and Dolls SR., Fiddler on the Roof SR., Into the Woods SR, and Singin’ in the Rain SR, with more shows in development.
The Doyles are no strangers to theater. They’ve been producing and directing shows for more than 20 years. They’ve also put in time as performers. Fran’s been on stage since he was a sophomore in high school. Maggie found her stage voice when she was 28.
They’ve done community theater work in Montgomery County, including at the Jenkintown Music Theatre and with the Willow Manor Players in Glenside.
When they moved to Freedom Village, they were asked about their hobbies, so naturally, they said they liked to direct musical theater.
“And they said, ‘Well, when’s the first show?’ Maggie recalls.
From that point on, they started looking for shows they thought would be appropriate for the age group.
“We had no idea if anybody was going to like it, if anybody was going to want to do it. But people turned out, and they just went from there,” Maggie says.
The shows are well-attended at Freedom Village. For those who can’t get to the auditorium, there’s an in-house TV station that broadcasts the performance.
Senior Shows
There are shows out there written specifically for senior citizens, taking into account their limited mobility issues.
“We can’t do something like 42nd Street,” Maggie joked.
Dance is replaced with “movement” that utilizes a lot of hand and arm motions, taking a step here and there.
“Choreography does not work. We tried it,” she says.
Well-known shows like Guys and Dolls are modified.
For example, in the popular number “Luck Be a Lady Tonight,” the gamblers are supposed to be on their knees playing craps during the song.
“You can’t do that with seniors. It’ll take ten minutes for them to get up,” Maggie says.
In the Freedom Village version, the players remain on their feet, with a table set up for rolling the dice.
Guys and Dolls Sr. is the first Broadway show that they’ve done at Freedom Village. It included cuts to songs and dialogue to accommodate the older performers and audience.
The regular production is about two to two-and-a-half times longer, Maggie explained.
One thing the older performers do bring to the shows is authenticity.
They understand the dialogue, the characters, and the jokes, Maggie says, something you may not get from younger performers trying to play older characters.
Theater Program Benefits
The Doyles consider Freedom Village Players to be a form of therapy for the residents who participate. They have to memorize lines, they are made to move on stage, and there’s singing, which is good for your lungs.
There’s no admission to see the shows, but audience members are invited to donate. Half of the money raised from performances goes to a scholarship fund that’s for Freedom Village employees who are working on their bachelor’s degree, are studying a trade, or pursuing nursing.
The other half goes out into the community to help with various causes, like food banks.
There’s also the good feelings the shows generate at Freedom Village.
“The people here, you know, they’re so appreciative,” Maggie says. “The good feelings last at Freedom Village for a couple of months.”
