WILD ROMP IN SENIOR LIVING
TheatreWorks Silicon Valley has launched an uproarious spoof of senior living with Happy Pleasant Valley: A Senior Sex Scandal Murder Mystery Musical.
It’s an all-encompassing effort by Min Kahng. She knows her stuff: she’s definitely of an age to qualify for Medicare, but Kahng wrote book, music and lyrics, and produced this absolutely hilarious, ribald and definitely over-the-top musical about shenanigans in a retirement community.
Award-winning director Jeffrey Lo keeps a firm hold on the entire cast in this quick-moving production. Seven fine actors make up the cast – each character with distinct charm. The performers all do excellent work.
As June, Emily Kuroda is a senior citizen who enjoys swearing a lot—a little old lady who does many things deemed inappropriate for her age. Sophie Oda, who played the spoiled younger sister in the TheatreWorks production of Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley, plays June’s daughter, Jade, who gets paid as an “Influencer,” filming in a studio in San Mateo.
Danny Scheie, man of a million funny faces, plays Mort and, as always, he’s riveting. Lucinda Hitchcock Cone is Vicki, a retired park ranger who loves a special small squirrel named Walter. She even wears a knit sweater with a picture of a squirrel woven into it.
As Bernice, Jacqueline De Muro really loves men – actually all the men in “Valley,” and sometimes more than one man at the same time. In high school, that was called ‘boy crazy.” Some behavior never changes. Cindy Goldfield plays DeeDee, who often tries to be the community’s peacemaker. That usually gives her a lot of satisfaction. Sometimes it even works.
The final cast member is Miller Liberatore as Dean, who started out as an understudy but has now taken on the role for the remainder of the run. Dean works as Jade’s assistant in her Influencer studio. Occasionally he does a little dance or twirls around, which infuriates Jade because she feels he’s trying to steal focus from her.
The band is excellent. Music director and orchestrator William Liberatore conducts, and plays the piano, with Artie Storch on percussion, Timothy Fletcher on keyboard, and Lucas Chen on cello. Written for this production, none of the songs are well known, but are nonetheless enjoyable. Various members of the cast sing catchy tunes such as “The Happy Pleasant Valley Seniors,” “All Pumped Up,” “Bring HalmoniHome,” and “The Frame Comes Apart.”
Brilliant modernistic sets, created by Arnel Sancianco, add much to this production. Ditto David Lee Cuthbert’s projections, which glide on-and-off at stage left and right, with bright colors and designs. Jill C. Bowers has designed costumes for many TheatreWorks shows. Her costumes here are realistic, as befitting the residents of any retirement community.
Happy Pleasant Valley at TheatreWorks ends March 30. On June 1, it moves to Center Rep at the Lesher Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek, where it will run through June 29.
Happy Pleasant Valley: A Senior Sex Scandal Murder Mystery Musical
TheatreWorks Silicon Valley
a co-production with Center Repertory Company
Lucie Stern Theatre, 1305 Middlefield Road in Palo Alto
2 hours and 35 minutes, plus one intermission
Tues at 7:30; Wed at 2 & 7:30; Thurs & Fri at 8; Sat at 2 & 8; Sun at 2 & 7
ends on March 30, 2025
for tickets ($34-$115), call 877.662.8978 or visit TheatreWorks
then plays CenterREP June 1-29, 2025
Lesher Center for the Arts, 1601 Civic Dr, in Walnut Creek
for tickets, visit CenterREP
