FiftyNorth Players return with radio variety theater

If You Go Performances of The FiftyNorth Players Radio Variety Show Theater are Thursday, April 11 at 7 p.m.; Friday, April 12 at 7 p.m. and Saturday, April 13 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at the door on on the website: www.fiftynorth.org fb02a6cf-3744-41c9-9000-83f184a2cd06

Remember “the good ol’ days” when families would sit around living room radio and listen to funny skits, commercials and musical numbers?

Tune in once more to the nostalgia of Radio Variety Show Theater when the FiftyNorth Players recreate those memories with three performances, Thursday through Saturday, April 11-13. The variety program includes four musical numbers, several comedic skits and commercials and jingles from the 1940s and 1950s promoting familiar brands of toothpaste, instant coffee and cigarettes.

“You won’t want to miss the fun as the Players spoof some of your favorite programs from those good ol’ days,” said Peggy Sheldon.

The Variety Show is directed by Dick Waters, who made his debut as a director four years ago, just as the COVID-19 pandemic began. Waters wrote many of the lyrics to the songs, playing off commercially popular TV productions such as “Dragnet,” “Murder She Wrote,” and Sherlock Holmes.”

“There were three performances of this program scheduled in March 2020,” explained Waters in an email. “The first one was well attended; the house was full. By the time the second one arrived, news of the new COVID virus was spreading, and the audience was half what it was opening night. People were afraid to mingle with others. The third and final performance was cancelled, because FiftyNorth had closed its doors.”

“The current performance has a few bits from the ill-fated show in 2020, but there are many new pieces this time around that will tickle your funny bone and bring back good memories,” said Debra Miller.

The cast includes: Janet Boucher, Richard Collman, Fletcher Coolidge, Bob Gregory-Bjorkland, Ann Gregory-Bjorkland, Craig Grunzke, Linda Henderson, David Miller, Deborah Rae Miller, Dee Rogers, Dale Sheldon, Peggy Sheldon, Jim Stenglein and Rhoda Van Tassel.

Besides “keeping their brain active,” cast members said during a group interview before rehearsal Friday afternoon that they were enjoying taking a sentimental journey back in time.

New cast members also mentioned that one of the attractive aspects of performing in a radio variety was that “the actors don’t have to memorize” the script, since all performers are visibly reading and reacting with a script in hand.