NEOSHO, Mo. —
Shirley Gollhofer sat in the office with a table full of books, and there it was staring her in the face: “The Kids Left. The Dog Died. Now What?” With a title like that, she wanted to know more.
“I thought it sounded like it would be a lot of fun and something people could relate to” Gollhofer said. She then ordered the script, read it and knew this was a show she wanted to direct.
“The Kids Left. The Dog Died. Now What?” is a 21st-century musical comedy that addresses issues such as gravity on the body, grandchildren, dating, and all kinds of things we go through as we age, she said.
The musical is geared toward the “sandwich generation;” the people who find themselves with a 91-year-old mother and an 18-year-old kid, struggling to figure out life, said Gollhofer, director of the play. Even though the musical includes numbers tailored more for an older generaion with songs such as “Ode to AARP,” audience members of all ages will find something relatable, she said.
Divorce, regret, finding new love and even exploring online dating are mentioned in the musical.
“Younger audience members will get it,” she said. “They’ll see it and say, ‘That’s my mom,’ or, ‘That’s my dad.’”
The cast is comprised of four actors Ñ Seve Kenney, Scott Corn, Annette Netherley and Tamara Barnet Ñ who all take on different roles throughout the show.
It’s a musical revue in some respects, she said. The scenes are fast-paced and the music, a live ensemble of piano, bass and drums, switches from style to style, ranging from twangy, country western to to rock ’n’ roll.
“I felt like it was something we hadn’t done. I wanted to do something that was lighter, but still entertaining,” Golhoffer said, referring to last summer’s production, which was an intense drama.
Want to go?
“The Kids Left. The Dog Died. Now What?” will be presented 7:30 p.m. June 28 - 30 in the Elsie Plaster Community Center at Crowder College in Neosho and at 2 p.m. June 30. General admission tickets are $10; Students and senior citizens $7; Crowder students and staff $5; Special group rates $3. For more information, call 417-451-3223.
Lifestyles
Related Photos
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Seve Kenney, Scott Corn, Annete Netherley and Tamara Barnet star in "The Kids Left. The Dog Died. Now What?", presented at Crowder College. Courtesy | Shirley Gollhofer
Discussion
Musical at Crowder College features mid-life crises
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