A JUKEBOX FOR THE ALGONQUIN
Written by CT native, Paul Stroili.
Director: Lynne Colatrella
May 1, 2, 3, 8, 9, 10, 15, 16, 17 at 7:30pm
TALKBACK WITH AUTHOR AT MAY 10 evening performance.
May 4, 11, 18 at 2:00pm
At a senior living community in the Adirondacks, a small group of residents decide they’re not quite ready to “go gentle into that good night.” This band of displaced former city dwellers from Brooklyn and The Bronx hatch a plot to prove that aging is not a New York state of mind. A Jukebox for the Algonquin is a tale about those who will not be forgotten – a serious comedy about sex, drugs, and rocking chairs.
CAST (Names in gold = Curtain Call debut.)
Annie …………………….Ellen Krinick-Porto
Chuck ……..……………………….Phil Lorenzo
Dennis…………………..……………. Jim Parry
Johnny……..………………….. David M. Tate
Josefina..…………………………..Gail Yudain
Peg……………………………….. Jessie Gilbert
Tyler.……………………………… Paul Valenti
Playwright Paul Stroili is a resident artist at Jeff Daniels’ Purple Rose Theatre where A Jukebox for The Algonquin celebrated its World Premiere. The recipient of a Wilde Award for Best New Play of 2023, Jukebox was also a finalist in the Austin Film Festival Playwrighting competition. Stroili’s other plays include My Mother and the Michigan/Ohio War, Cheese Louise (with Maureen Morley), Plane Crazy (with Cissy Conner) and My Dinner with Arlecchino. His play, Last Call at The Aardvark is currently available through Next Stage Press. Stroili’s autobiographical solo show, Straight Up with a Twist, toured for nearly nine years, with over 1000 performances nationwide, culminating in a twice extended Off Broadway run. His writing has also appeared in Los Angeles Magazine and The Chicago Tribune and his screenplay for the short film, The Beating was added to the curriculum at Columbia College in their course of study in filmmaking. Paul served as Executive Producer for the award-winning feature film WAKE, directed by Cyrus Mirakhor and starring Jo Koy. As an actor, producer and director, Paul has enjoyed a career spanning four decades in theatre, film and television.
WINNER: Wilde Award (Michigan): Best New Play 2023/2024
WINNER/Official Selection: Smith and Kraus Publishing
Best Women’s Stage Monologues – 2024
“A rollicking good time… this witty comedy/drama is a blast.“
Ann Arbor Observer
“Jukebox sparkles… a classically structured, beautifully written play.“
Encore Michigan
“A laugh-out-loud comedy… that delves into deeper stories…
side-splitting and captivating.”
Sun Times News
“You’ll enjoy the laughs…but it’s the individual stories and how
they interconnect that really make this one special.“
Onstage Colorado
“Every once in a while… a show comes along with so much love, collaboration
and talent that it’s hard to even know where to start. Such is the case with
A Jukebox for the Algonquin.”
Theatrecriticism.com
“One of the sleeper hits of the season is A Jukebox for The Algonquin, a deeply
affecting comedy that reveals a major playwriting talent in Paul Stroili.”
Denver Gazette
