The prop—a walker festooned with tropical flowers—says it all: this play is hilarious, it’s geared toward seniors and it’s going on location. 

Grab your gal pals and catch “Four Old Broads on the High Seas,” Funky Little Theater Company’s 55th production and a follow-up to last year’s wildly popular “Four Old Broads.” The show takes place this month at Meanwhile Block.

Several new cast members run their lines at a recent rehearsal.

The first play followed four spirited residents in a retirement home, hilariously reacting to aging and friendship. In this performance, they walk the gangway to the Sassy Seniors Cruise, with romance, mischief and a murder onboard! The second show stands on its own if you didn’t catch last year’s performance. 

Some actors find themselves surprisingly in sync with their characters.

“We’re kind of like the Golden Girls on steroids—or alcohol,” cracked Leslie O’Neil, 79, who reprises her role as Imogene Fletcher. “Last year, she was hauling her oxygen tank around, but now she’s doing pretty damn good.”

She’s motivated by the cruise—and by Sam. 

John Longo, 69, plays Sam, a retired Elvis impersonator. Like Sam, he’s an actor, but “Sam has a reputation as being kind of a womanizer, but he’s a romantic.”

Gayle Abe, 77,  shares a few traits with Maude, the crown-obsessed diva she portrays.

“I think sometimes people see me as a dimwit,” she said. “As Maude, I’m a diva—but not in real life.”

Maude has come a long way since obsessively planning her funeral in the first show. 

“She wants to embrace life to the fullest,” said Artistic Director Chris Medina. “That’s what this cruise symbolizes. This is their freedom.”

Medina said the actors each bring something authentic to their roles. 

“That’s the fun of doing theater—the relatability, the storytelling,” he said.

Kim Dobson stars as Edna Bumpus in "Four Old Broads on the High Seas."

Kimberly Dobson, 57, says her role as Edna Bumpus—cruising with her husband of 64 years—couldn’t be further from her true self. 

Mary Sprunger-Froese’s Eaddy is a busybody. 

“She may sound like quite a religious zealot, but she loves people,” she said. “She’s best friends with Bea,” a retired burlesque queen played by Marty Rapp.

Medina is grateful for the “rare feat” of the original cast returning. 

Rounding out the ensemble are Patrick Rogers (Herbert), Melvin Grier (Horace), Solomon Abell (Steven), Timothy Cordova (Melvin) and Patrick Neill (Captain Sterling).

CAST CHEMISTRY

There’s genuine affection among the cast. They’ve gathered outside rehearsals for theater performances and even a Miss Senior Colorado America pageant for inspiration. And they run their lines together—a challenge at any age. Still, practicing at home is a must.

The four old broads’ Sassy Senior Cruise is a perfect excuse for an over-the-top photo op. Photos by Chris Medina.

Longo and Dobson straight-up memorize their lines. Sprunger-Froese records cues and recites her lines, while O’Neil and Abe use cue cards. Abe’s son even helps by voicing other characters.

By the end of April, they were “off book” (no scripts)—what Medina only half-jokingly calls “a scary, terrifying tactic that theaters use.” Not bad for just two three-hour rehearsals a week. 

“One of us has been off book for a while,” Abe said, glancing at Dobson. 

“I’m just terrified of dropping lines!” Dobson protested.

Live theater can be a bit unpredictable. 

“We have to figure out how to patch it together,” said Sprunger-Froese of fluffed lines and missed cues. 

O’Neil once tossed a camera that missed its mark. A phone chirped backstage during another performance. 

“The lighting director covered by saying, ‘Oh, my. The crickets are really loud tonight!’” Abe recalled.

But rehearsals of a comedy aren’t all work.

“We crack each other up!” several actors said in unison.

Playwright Leslie Kimbell based the Old Broads series on her hilarious aunt and saucy grandmother. Abe appreciates the realistic portrayal of older women. 

“They’re still full of life and able to draw from their youth, to use sassy language and tell dirty jokes,” she said.

A STAGE FOR SENIORS

Medina steers Funky Little Theater toward productions with more roles for seniors, not just the “one-off, dying grandpa” character. Past productions include “Always in Brisbane,” “Nunsense” and “Steel Magnolias.”

Still, Sprunger-Froese said opportunities for older women in theater remain limited. She’s glad this show breaks the mold.

“It makes me happy that women now are sometimes playing men”—yet wonders why only young people get to play old people, not vice versa. 

“It’s a suspension of disbelief,” she said.

In one outdoor production, she played both an old woman and a young man. 

“They didn’t care—as long as you could play the role.”

Behind every talented cast is a top-notch crew. Erin Howard created the costumes for both “Old Broads” productions—three to four for each main character.

“She goes on adventures with cast members to see what they can find,” said Medina of Howard’s thrifting excursions. 

Memorable outfits include Longo’s Elvis costume and Abe’s Shirley Temple-inspired dress. The sight of a senior doing a “wonky, stompy” tap dance in a frilly child’s costume? Comedy gold.

GET COMFORTABLE

The space at Meanwhile Block, 124 W. Cimarron St. in Colorado Springs, is wheelchair accessible and seats about 100 people. The cast suggests audience members bring a cushion for added comfort.  Medina works with different microphones to help with hearing impairments and encourages actors to project to the audience. 

While Funky Little Theater’s audiences once skewed younger, that shifted during its run at Westside Community Center. 

“They have such a senior-heavy demographic,” Medina said. “The importance of representation is glaringly obvious.”

Last year’s “Old Broads” show sold out before it ever opened. It was predominantly female friend groups, but men enjoyed it, too.

There’s a third published “Old Broads” script and another in the works. But for now, the cast relishes their larger-than-life roles, playing for the big laughs.

“The story isn’t deep. It isn’t Machiavellian situational comedy—it’s relatable,” said Medina. “It’s not too complex, too heavy, too downtrodden. What we need is light and joy.”