Assisted Living: The Musical®
The History
It happened in a parking lot one warm, South Florida night in 2008 when a follower asked the topic of Rick and Betsy’s next show. They had no idea. Rick saw someone loading a walker and said, “Maybe something on assisted living.” Betsy elbowed him and said derisively, “Yeah, right: ‘Assisted Living: The Musical’.”
The title came before the show.
Six months later, Assisted Living: The Musical® was up.
“A WONDERFUL TIME!”
-- BBC Radio
Within the first two weeks, a local review attracted the attention of The Associated Press. An article on the wire produced interviews and features on BBC Scotland, BBC World and ABC World News and coverage in more than 180 news outlets worldwide.
"AUDIENCES ARE LAUGHING SO HARD, THEY CRY." -- Associated Press
The authors enlisted the help of producer Douglas Gray.
Doug helped develop the show through two New York workshops under directors Jeffery Moss and Bill Castellino respectively.
Its out-of-town tryouts produced more than a year of SROs.
This run was near The Villages, the Pelican Roost of Florida. Those performances featured the authors. A San Francisco premier with an Equity cast resulted in universal raves, and ran there for six weeks.
“WICKEDLY FUNNY.”
-- San Francisco Examiner
“ASSISTED LIVING WAS TERRIFIC!”
- New Jersey Stage
"KNEE SLAPPING FUNNY."
-- Tamp Bay Tribune
In 2013, Assisted Living: The Musical script was submitted – unbeknownst to its authors - to the New York Musical Festival. The show was selected for production. Complications prevented this, but the script and score drew the attention of Roger Bean, author of The Marvelous Wonderettes and principal in Steele Spring/Stage Rights, a boutique theatrical publisher. He approached Compton & Bennett, and they accepted his offer to publish. Since then Assisted Living: The Musical has been performed hundreds of times by professional and amateur troupes alike.
In 2013, the show found manager Chris Alberts.
With him, Assisted Living: The Musical began playing restored vaudeville houses and other small theatres from Arizona to New York, Florida to Vermont, and Tennessee to Michigan.
By 2015, the sell-outs began piling up.
Notable was the four off-season, advance sell-outs at the 1100-seat Sharon Morse Theatre in The Villages. The shows there were promoted by Fernando Varela, a runner-up on The Voice. His offer to manage the show was accepted. Under his aegis, Assisted Living: The Musical began playing in performing arts centers and larger theatres as well as extended runs in smaller, targeted venues.
“…HILARIOUS.” -- Broadway World
In 2019, a second Assisted Living
show was debuted.
Today, the shows are self-managed and continue to grow the
Assisted Living audience
THE HOME…for the holidays is an all-new, seasonal romp, and has all of the characters from the original. It, too, enjoys sell-outs, standing ovations and repeat bookings. And it, too, is represented by Producers, Inc.
They play between 60- and 100-performances a year, at halls from California to New York, and from Florida into Canada.They are represented by Producers, Inc.
Both shows are published by Steele Spring Stage Rights Publishing. They have been licensed by more than a dozen theatre troupes for hundreds of performances nationwide.