Theatre Albany’s first 55-over production set for weekend matinees

ALBANY – All right, all right. Let’s go ahead and get the jokes out of the way:

“Our biggest problem is actors remembering their lines … and where the theater is.” “We’re doing matinees because our actors don’t drive at night.” “There’s always the concern that we won’t finish our performances in time to get to the ‘early-bird’ special at Sizzler.”

Gary and Suzanne Unger have heard these jibes – and plenty more – since early May when they bravely took on the roles as first-time directors of Theatre Albany’s production of “Singing in the Rain Sr.” It’s the kind of thing you might expect to hear when all 23 actors in your cast are between the ages of 57 and 79.

And it all started, surreptitiously, of course, when the Ungers took a trip to Rochester, N.Y.

“Suzanne and I were in Rochester, and we saw a performance by a senior citizen group called the ‘Geriactors,’” Gary Unger, a retired music teacher who has served as music director for “30-plus” local productions, said. “I looked at Suzanne and said, ‘We can do this.’”

Plans for the 2025-26 Theatre Albany season had been pretty much set when the Ungers broached the idea of doing a play starring senior actors with members of the theater’s board. They got a strong, positive reaction.

“(‘Singing in the Rain Sr.’) was not part of the season, but we brought it up just after Christmas, in early January, maybe, and the board got excited about the idea,” Gary Unger said. “We sat down and figured out a time that we could fit it into the schedule, and here we are, just a few days away.”

Squeezing “Singing in the Rain” into the Theatre Albany schedule was no small order. In fact, the cast only last week got into the theater to rehearse. The theater’s production of “The Color Purple” just finished a successful run the week before, so the theater’s stage was in use through June 7.

That meant rehearsals at a pair of local churches that offered their spaces to the troupe, meaning time on the Theatre Albany stage would be limited.

“We’re so grateful that Avalon Methodist and First Methodist churches gave us access to spaces that allowed us to rehearse,” Unger said. “Of course, going through rehearsals in a gym and on a pavilion is not the same as being on the stage.

“We’ve kind of walked our actors through a tour of the theater to get them used to the actual place where they’ll be performing. That’s been a big disadvantage, but everyone’s adjusting now.”

Another issue for the cast is that the majority of them have little to no acting experience.

“Three-fourths of the cast have never acted before,” Suzanne Unger said. “Timing has become one of our biggest issues.”

Still, the Ungers say they’re elated to be a part of bringing a new element to the local arts scene.

“This is a pretty big deal for us and for the cast,” Gary Unger said. “And, be clear, this is not a spoof. It’s based on the classic movie ‘Singing in the Rain,’ but without the dancing. Sure, there are challenges with a cast of senior citizens – we have two in the cast who are 79! – especially when most of them have either never been on stage or haven’t been in a play since they played a giraffe in the third grade.

“And for a first-time event like this, yes, there are people associated with the theater who have more experience (in directing) than Suzanne and I. But I feel like we were called to do this.”

Kathleen Stroup, who’s taken the role of Dora Bailey, and Eddie and Marcy McCarty (Don Lockwood and Lina Lamont) are among the play’s leads. Other actors in the cast include Bob Campbell (Cosmo Brown), Paula Paulk (Roz), Bill Swan (R.F. Simpson), Soraya Miller (Kathy Seldon), Melvin Paulk (policeman/orchestra director), Deborah Freeman (Roscoe Dexter), Cher McDonald (Miss Dinsmore), Sandy Hardy-Meadows (teacher) and Marilyn Gibson (Zelda)

Hardy-Meadows and Zan Twiggs are Broadway Dancers, while Hardy-Meadows, Terrie Patterson, Sheila Phillips and Twiggs are “Kathy’s Girls.”

Members of the play’s ensemble are Renee Carmen, Teresa Carmen, Marilyn Gibson, Ted Gibson, Coni Grebel, Ruth Henry, Anita Lime-Simms, Hardy-Meadows, McDonald, Mark Mitchell, Patterson, Twiggs, Phillips and Laurie Whatley.

Judy Dabbs joins the Ungers as the play’s choreographer, while Lauren Collver serves as stage manager; Mike Hayes as sound engineer; Jackson Morrow as sound assistant; Megan Lisenby as costume designer; Butler Stoudenmire as lighting director; Tina Justice and Jenny McNair as props masters; Caleb Dale as set designer; Demi Addison, Erin Andrews and Megan Lisenby as makeup artists; Summer Ethridge and Amber Kirksey as hair stylists; and Olivia Brown, Arianna Calvacanto, Isabella Barfield, Melissa Griffin, Noah Lorber, Dean Morrow and Luke Twiggs serve as the stage crew.

“Everyone’s having a great time,” Suzanne Unger said. “I can’t help but think what a great opportunity this is to give these older actors an opportunity to perform.”

Talk for a few minutes with the Ungers’ about “Singing in the Rain Sr.,” and their excitement at making their directorial debuts with the group of senior actors is palpable. Like their actors, they can hardly wait for showtime.

“The theater has been doing ‘junior’ shows with kid actors for a while, and we were kind of losing some of our audience along the way,” Gary Unger said. “This is something new altogether, and the community seems to be excited about it. There are only a few tickets left.

“As we’re getting closer to the first performance, it’s starting to hit some of the cast. There’s a little more of the ‘wow!’ factor each day. It’s really going to hit when they’re hooked up to microphones, the lights come up and they hear the applause of the audience. I can’t wait.”

Showtime for the Saturday and Sunday performances this weekend is 2:30 p.m.