Aching back or not, the show must go on!

The local seniors in “Guys and Dolls Sr.” Aren’t as agile as they once were, but they make up for it in preparedness and enthusiasm.

“Some can’t get up and down like they used to, having  knee and back problems,” says director Monica Walter. “But when I see these actors moving around, I forget they are an older group. They are active and help each out, giving each other feedback and pointers.”

The show will be put on at 2 p.m. on Valentine’ Day, Saturday, Feb. 14, and on Sunday Feb. 15 at the Clarksville Fine Arts Center. Admission is free, but donations are welcomed for theater renovations.

The musical by Frank Loesser has been popular for 75 years, but for the first time a new version is being presented  for performers over age 55 across the country. This one is sponsored by the Clarksville Community Players.

Gamblers, mobsters and their girls will zbe portrayed by an experienced cast already familiar to Southside theater goers.

Among the local actors:

— Preston Hubble as Sky Masterson, the smooth-talking gambler who is trying to win a bet by seducing a Salvation Army missionary. Hubble was a rabbi in the recent “Fiddler on the Roof.”

—Holly Stadtler as Sarah Brown, the missionary who is intent on converting sinners like Masterson. She was a pilot in “South Pacific.”

—Greg Thrift as Nathan Detroit, who is anxiously looking for a place to stage his craps game. He was Stanford Adams in “Bright “Star” and Captain Brackett in “South Pacific.”

—Colleen (Coco) Corrice as Miss Adelaide, a dancer who has been trying for 14 years to get Nathan to marry her. Corrice appeared in “Christmas Belles” and was Mama Murphy in “Bright Star.”

The group authorizing these senior plays hopes the shows will reflect the joy of the actors who have gotten another chance to perform.

“For many, it is the return of a passion they didn’t know would be available to them in the third act of life,” says Jacob Cocovinis, marketing director of Music Theatre International (MTI.)

MTI made “Guys and Dolls” and four other abbreviated shows available at lower cost for theaters and seniors groups, along with scripts, background music and instructions.

To make the show more adaptable for seniors, it has been cut to just over an hour by MTI. The play and rehearsals have been set for afternoons, rather than at night.

How hard is it to remember lines? Hubble says, “At 70 my memory isn’t what it was at at 18, but I am able to recall the lines by visualizing he published script.”

What about the physical movements required in a show? You won’t see many of the crapshooters kneeling on the stage. Most challenging for seniors are probably the movements by Adelaide’s Hot Box dancers. Says Anne Smyre, “I have always loved to dance. At 82, it is so much fun to dance and swing.”

In some ways, older actors have an advantage. They have a better view of themselves at an advanced age and are less competitive.
“Uh, don’t be so sure of that!” says Smyre.

Guys and Dolls Sr. is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI.  wwwMTIShows.com.