A JUKEBOX FOR THE ALGONQUIN

As usual for the offerings at Theatre 40 in Beverly Hills, I really enjoyed their latest show, A Jukebox For The Algonquin, which is making its West Coast Premiere there.

To be a bit more exact, I enjoyed it for the most part. As most of the characters are, the play does get a tad long in the tooth.

But the majority of it is very funny. The setting is a retirement home in New York, where some of the residents have banded together to try to raise enough money to buy an old jukebox for their rec room. My friend Marc said that it sort-of reminded him of The Golden Girls, which is a good thing.

The well-written script has references for absolutely everyone. The characters themselves are a melting pot: one Catholic, (with eyesight issues,) one gay, (who’s also wheelchair-bound,) one black man, one Latina, one very young, and a few I don’t know the background of. I can’t remember if anyone is Jewish, but so many quips hit home with Marc and me that I feel like someone in the show is a member of our tribe. (When two characters kept yelling over each other a couple of times, Marc whispered, “I think that’s us.”)

I had two favorite lines about ethnicities. The first, delivered by the black senior citizen, is, “I was never an African-American. I’m an old black motherf**ker!” As someone who always wonders how to refer to black people who were born in other countries but live here now, amid all of our political-correctness, I loved that sentiment. And I couldn’t wait to tell Mr. X, who went to Catholic schools from kindergarten all through college, this exchange: One woman says she feels guilty about something, to which someone else asks her, “Why feel guilty? You didn’t do anything.” Her deadpan answer is, “You don’t know much about Catholicism, do you?” Everyone roared at that one.

While I’m on the topic of seniors, it’s good to see so many “mature” actors working. And in this case, due to the premise, it’s even okay if any of them ever forget their lines because it could just be part of their characters! I had seen only one of them before, non-senior Michael Mullen, who’s a perennial at this theatre, so I viewed them as only their characters, which is always good. I predict good things for the one young actor, Ethan Rockwell, who plays a janitor in the home. He’s adorbs.

And, as usual, I adored Jeff G. Rack’s perfect set. This was Marc’s first time seeing one, and he especially appreciated all of the little details in it.

I have only two small quibbles with the entire presentation. One is that I’m not a fan of comedies turning serious, which A Jukebox For The Algonquin does in the second half. It’s like the playwright just needed a way to wrap-up the story. The other is that, at almost two and a quarter hours, it’s about fifteen minutes too long. Part of that is that the actors, as excellent as they all are, stop at every period in the script. That’s fine when they’re going for the laughs, however it bogs down the action when the play gets serious.

But the cheerful and spunky curtain call brings the smiles again, so all’s well that ends well.

I had never been to Theatre 40 on a Saturday night before, so I loved discovering that it was packed on a weekend night! That depth led to the laughter sounding even more hearty than usual. It was fun to be a part of such a full, and knowledgeable, audience.

Speaking of Theatre 40, I want to remind you that it’s the easiest theatre experience in town. It begins with the almost-non-existent-traffic location, then there’s the free parking, and moves on to the “Joe sent me” feel of the entrance, the affordable concessions, and the intimacy of the theatre itself. I love everything about the place.

So go have a lovely time there, for this show, and all of them!

A Jukebox For The Algonquin running through August 24, 2025
Theatre 40  241 S. Moreno Drive  Beverly Hills
310-364-0535 www.theatre40.org