First came “Menopause, the Musical.” Then, like a hot flash, it came back … in (hot) waves. Then came the like- minded “Hats,” a musical celebrating women turning 50.
Now, for your consideration: “Mid-Life: The Crisis Musical,” which differs from the others if only in that it includes men.
Reading glasses and mammograms and weekend warriors and proctology exams are among the topics sibling creators Bob and Jim Walton lampoon with what they call “Saturday Night Live” “non-sensibility.”
Here’s our Q&A with Jim Walton, who is directing the regional premiere of “Mid- Life” at Boulder’s Dinner Theatre through Oct. 27:
Q: What do you and your brother tell those who might dismiss your show as an oversaturated subject?
A: Wait! Bob and I are brothers? That explains the resemblance … and same last name.
Though we’re honored to be mentioned in the same paragraph with “Menopause” and “Hats,” hopefully, your savvy Denver audiences are suffering from memory loss – and will think “Mid-Life!” is the first of such shows here.
As you said, it boasts three men, who are just as terrific as the three ladies at BDT. I’m trusting that word of mouth will keep me from having to talk to everyone personally about seeing “Mid- Life!” But if I could, I’d tell them that at BDT, you get food!
For me, midlife means fantasizing about dinner … while eating lunch.
Q: So is this a revue, a play, a full-story musical, what?
A: “Mid-Life” is in revue format, but we call it a musical because the content (with many book scenes) leans further toward musical comedy than revue. Our show is less like “Menopause” or “Hats,” and more in the vein of, “I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change Out of Those Hideous Plaid Pants.”
Q: So what’s so funny about getting older?
A: Basically, aging opens a doorway to classic schadenfreude – with a sort of gallows humor. It’s a chance to laugh at others as they wrestle with life issues we recognize. True, gray hair may not be funny. But when it’s growing out of your ears, it’s special.
Q: What’s your most comical midlife anecdote?
A: Midlife? ME? Whatever do you mean? … Well, there was the time I absent-mindedly threw my much-needed home-equity loan contract into a city trash can instead of a mailbox, to which brother Bob said: “Are you sure you don’t want to use one of those other U.S. mailboxes?” Of course, the trash is where most home-equity loans go now.
Q: How old are you and your brother anyway? (Sorry!)
A: You’re sorry? I’m five years older than Bob. And we’re twins, which made the delivery tough on Mom. I’m 52, and he’s 47. But I like to think of myself as a 7-year- old dog.
Q: So, wait, you performed in “The Music Man” on Broadway with BDT artistic director Michael J. Duran? What’s something juicy you can give up about the esteemed, award-winning Mr. Duran? Spill!
A: Michael Duran was wonderful in “The Music Man,” and Broadway misses him. I wish I had juicy backstage gossip about him to share (and so does he!). Actually, I met Michael in 1984, the summer of my divorce. I was broke, and he, merely a friend of a friend at the time, offered up his home to me for two weeks while I got my feet back on the ground. He’s a mensch, in every sense of the word.
The moral is that divorce can be devastating – but it means you’ll get your musical produced at Boulder’s Dinner Theatre.
Q: If you had a T-shirt slogan about getting older, what would it be?
A: “See ‘Mid-Life.’ For more info, read my underwear.”
Theater critic John Moore can be reached at 303-954-1056 or jmoore@denverpost.com.
“Mid-Life: The Crisis Musical”
MUSICAL COMEDY | Boulder’s Dinner Theatre, 5501 Arapahoe Ave. | Written by Jim and Bob Walton | Starring Bren. Eyestone-Burron, Scott Beyette, Alicia Dunfee, Barb Reeves, Brian Norber and A.K. Klimpke | THROUGH OCT. 27 | 7 p.m. Wednesdays, 7:45 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays; 1:45 and 7:45 p.m. Sundays (dinner 90 minutes before) | $34-$53 | 303-449-6000 or
