Synopsis | Wrinkles, The Musical

LOCATION: “Paradise Lagoon, a large, very active over 55 community in central Florida.

TIME: Present day

Jane, a former theater person and her wife, Sally, a folk rock star, were seeking serenity and a respite from the hustle and bustle of their careers when they discovered Paradise Lagoon. However, shortly after moving in, Jane missed the stage and began envisioning a musical revue, cast with fellow residents of the elder community to benefit breast cancer research, a foreshadowing of future illness. She cajoled Sal into writing the music and acting as musical director.

An audition is held and 4 women, aged 64 to 85 are cast. They are diverse in talent with various levels of experience. Diane taught tap dancing for 60 years; Ms D had been a show girl at the Boom Boom Room in Chicago; Valerie did shows with Junior League 40 years earlier; Louise, who danced as a child, used to juggle but finds that her Parkinson’s has robbed her of that skill. Initial rehearsals are more bad comedy routine than musical revue. Fortunately, Pam, a British choreographer arrives and not a moment too soon as Jane is becoming unhinged, actually more desperate with every attempt to work with this motley crew. Under Pam’s direction, Wrinkles, The Musical Revue, begins to show some promise but is still far from riveting and far from the product that Jane had envisioned.

Incontinence, erectile dysfunction, arm bags, skin tags and other indignities of old age are all up for laughs...

Meanwhile, something magical is taking place backstage. The women, including Pam, Jane and Sal, are developing the kind of closeness that backstage intensity often produces. They begin to share their personal stories; their joys, sadness, strengths, and weaknesses; their tears and laughter, their sex lives and deeply held secrets; they even share a joint! As this new dynamic evolves, the creative team realizes that this is the answer. This is the material that needs to be on stage, that will captivate the audience in a deeply personal yet universal way.

Late in the play we meet Jane’s eccentric Aunt Beulah who has come to Florida from the fahm up Noth, is quickly persuaded to join the cast onstage, and makes a big hit with the audience.

From the magic and the tragic of creating the show, each woman opens her heart, allows herself to be vulnerable, and, ultimately, experiences empowerment and transformation.