Performers Age, but Dreams Never Get ‘Old’

If the sags and bags of time have you dreading every birthday, and you’re not pinching and stitching every inch into plastic perfection, “Too Old for the Chorus” at the Celebration Theatre may perfectly reflect your woes. This new musical revue by Marie Cain, Shelly Markham and Mark Winkler is an upbeat if sometimes preachy look at ageism in a youth-obsessed society.

Five singers (Jo Hinds, Alvin Ing, Virginia McMath, Wayne Moore and Sammy Williams), ranging in age from 40-something to 65-and-holding, remind us that one may pass the “young and perky” stage of life, but one is never too old to be a star. One always has “Potential,” according to the opening number. Some achieve their goals after 40 in “Late Bloomers Samba.”

McMath performs a particularly passionate riff on hot flashes--Cain’s “Menopause Rag”--and generally adds a comedic spark. Williams, who received a 1976 Tony Award for “A Chorus Line,” can still captivate with his sharply defined moves and stage presence.

Some songs turn the negative into the positive, such as “Invisible/Invincible,” in which Williams and Ing complain about their invisibility while Moore celebrates it.

Ing and Moore are gently humorous in skits about generationally mismatched dating that are interwoven throughout the program. Each skit begins as a word association game--one character might think Mike Hammer and the other MC Hammer--but ends in a ditty dedicated to a Hollywood star of yesteryear. Near the show’s end, Ing and Moore sing a ballad, “Quiet Fire,” about the sweet comfort of long-lived love.

Hinds is feisty and funny as she and Williams sing about how age can fog up minds in “Memory Moment,” and in her solo, “Age Is Just a Number.”

Robert Schrock, in his swan song as artistic director of this gay-themed theater, directs with vigor and cheery conviction, assisted by choreographer Chrissy Bocchino. The energy sweeps us away in the intimate confines of this venue. Under musical director Bill Schneider, the five voices blend beautifully.

Even though the bill includes gay situations, the material transcends simple sexual orientation. Most of the themes will strike a familiar chord in anyone clinging to the upper edges of middle-agedom. The show won’t make you forget about the cruelties of aging, but it’ll help you face them with a little smile.

BE THERE

“Too Old for the Chorus,” Celebration Theatre, 7051 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood. Thursdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 3 and 7 p.m. Ends May 30. $25. (310) 289-2999. Running time: 1 hour, 35 minutes.