To be a bit more exact, I enjoyed it for the most part<\/em>. As most of the characters<\/em> are, the play does<\/em> get a tad long in the tooth.<\/p>\n (L-R) Milda Dacys, Mouchette van Helsdingen, Lloyd Pedersen, and Herb Hall. Photo by Gabe Tejeda-Benitez, as is the one above.<\/p><\/div>\n 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<\/em>, which is a good thing.<\/p>\n The well-written script has references for absolutely everyone. The characters themselves are a melting pot: one Catholic, (with eyesight issues,) one gay, (who\u2019s also wheelchair-bound,) one black man, one Latina, one very young, and a few I don\u2019t know the background of. I can\u2019t 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.\u201d)<\/p>\n Herb Hall and Lloyd Pedersen. Photo by Gabe Tejeda-Benitez.<\/p><\/div>\n 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!\u201d 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\u2019t wait to tell Mr. X, who went to Catholic schools from kindergarten all through college<\/em>, this exchange: One woman says she feels guilty about something, to which someone else asks her, \u201cWhy feel guilty? You didn’t do anything.” Her deadpan answer is, \u201cYou don’t know much about Catholicism, do you?” Everyone roared at that one.<\/p>\n While I\u2019m on the topic of seniors, it\u2019s good to see so many \u201cmature\u201d 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<\/em>-senior Michael Mullen, who\u2019s 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\u2019s adorbs.<\/p>\n And, as usual, I adored Jeff G. Rack\u2019s perfect set. This was Marc\u2019s first time seeing one, and he especially appreciated all of the little details in it.<\/p>\n The set. Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n I have only two small quibbles with the entire presentation. One is that I\u2019m not a fan of comedies turning serious, which A Jukebox<\/em> For The Algonquin<\/em> does in the second half. It\u2019s like the playwright just needed a way to wrap-up the story. The other is that, at almost two and a quarter hours, it\u2019s 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\u2019s fine when they\u2019re going for the laughs, however it bogs down the action when the play gets serious.<\/p>\n But the cheerful and spunky curtain call brings the smiles again, so all\u2019s well that ends well.<\/p>\n Diane Linder, Tricia Cruz, and Milda Dacys. Photo by Gabe Tejeda-Benitez.<\/p><\/div>\n 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.<\/p>\n Speaking of Theatre 40, I want to remind you that it\u2019s the easiest theatre experience in town. It begins with the almost-non-existent-traffic location, then there\u2019s the free parking, and moves on to the \u201cJoe sent me\u201d feel of the entrance, the affordable concessions, and the intimacy of the theatre itself. I love everything about the place.<\/p>\n So go have a lovely time there, for this<\/em> show, and all<\/em> of them!<\/p>\n A Jukebox For The Algonquin<\/em>\u00a0running through August 24, 2025<\/strong> 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<\/p>\n![\"(L-R)](\"https:\/\/itsnotaboutme.tv\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Jukebox_Theater40_66263-e1753749894649.jpg\")
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\n Theatre 40 \u00a0241 S. Moreno Drive \u00a0Beverly Hills<\/strong>
\n 310-364-0535\u00a0www.theatre40.org<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"