The laughter never ends at Clo- Achers, a fictional adult community conceived by Myra Danon and Meryl Berness, who live in a real-life adult community in Monroe.
The two writers, who go by the name of Berdanhand Productions, will present “Calamities at Clo-Achers” at the Hightstown Elks Lodge July 11-27. The show is a revival of their original play, “Fade Out at Clo-Achers,” which was performed in Monmouth and Ocean counties in 2009 and again in Monmouth County in 2011.
With a new cast hailing from towns including Monroe, Marlboro, Sayreville, Keyport and Edison, and a new and experienced director, Bobbi Blumenthal of East Brunswick, the spoof on life in an adult community has been revamped to appeal to a wide variety of people, regardless of whether they live in a retirement community.
“Although the play takes place in an active adult community, I believe the situations and residents’ reactions to them can relate to other communities with folks in their 20s through their 60s,” Danon said. “People behave similarly in living situations where there are boards of trustees, rules for using the pool, rules for garbage disposal — especially dog waste — bingo, parking spaces, etc.”
In writing the play, Danon and Berness incorporated common situations, but they concocted characters and orc hestrated reactions to hypothetical situations skewed toward laughable results.
Berness, a former elementary school teacher and school counselor, said she and her husband Leonard moved to Renaissance at Monroe a decade ago.
“We truly enjoy living in this active adult community, as the lifestyle here is that of a sleep-away camp for grownups. It was this very premise that motivated me to study my new peers, and it was here in this very camp that I met my friend and skilled co-author, Myra, who thinks a whole lot like me,” she said. “Together, we successfully penned imagined experiences and came up with this delightful science fiction spoof that is full of laughs. It most accurately emphasizes the numerous, humorous antics of the 55-plus crowd.”
Danon, a former teacher and newspaper copy editor and features writer, said everything about the project is fun.
“The writing was fun [and] the actors’ transformation into the characters is fun. Getting to know the men and women — a wonderfully talented, dedicated, fun-loving group of people who have come together as individuals under the direction of the spirited and conscientious director and blended smoothly into a delightfully frothy mélange of merriment — [was fun]. Their spirit and enthusiasm is palpable.” The new cast includes several family units, including Benji Sills, a theater major at Rutgers University, New Brunswick, who will be taking the stage with his mom, Deborah Sills, a teacher from Monroe. Husband and wife Carol and Gary Feinstein from Hightstown are also featured, along with Les Johnson, who teaches film in Newark, and his daughter, Danielle, a nursing student from Edison.
Marlboro resident Sandi Silberstein and Brielle resident Nancy Viola, formerly from Middletown, are returning cast members.
Blumenthal, who has directed shows at the State Theatre, said there have been plenty of laughs and smiles since the cast and crew came together.
“Having directed for over 30 years, I know how terrific it is to have a great script and an enthusiastic and talented cast,” she said. “Such is the case with this production. As a director, one always hopes that her cast will gel and work as a well-oiled machine. This is the combination upon which great shows are built.”
Berness said the origin of the name Berdanhand Productions exemplifies her and Danon’s love of laughter and playing with words that have double meanings.
“We chose to use a logo with a happy face that has its hand extended, holding a singing bird, right after we came up with a clever way of combining our names: the ‘Ber’ is for Berness, and the ‘Dan’ for Danon, and the ‘hand’ just found its way in,” she said.
Because it is an original play, and she knows of nothing else quite like it, Danon said she would ultimately like to see it picked up by someone who would pitch it to a comedy network.
“There is so much material for a sitcom that could last as long as any sponsor or cable company is game,” Danon said.
“Calamities at Clo-Achers” will be presented at the Hightstown Elks Lodge, 110 Hickory Corner Road (Route 130 South), East Windsor, at 8 p.m. July 11, 12, 18, 19, 25 and 26; and at 2 p.m. July 13, 20 and 27. Tickets are $16 per person, with discounts for groups of 10 or more.
Call 609-619-3934 or email [email protected] for tickets and more information.