Empty Nester Couple Cope with Family in “Legally Gray” Comedy

“Mike and Marie Malone could be any couple dealing with retirement and family,” says Holly J. Kowalenko, director of the comedy Legally Gray opening at the Somerset Valley Players on July 19. “What the show does is take the relatable experience of the sandwich generation dealing with grown children and in-laws and make it hilariously complicated for them.”

The couple are the heart of the show explains Kowalenko, and audiences have to like and root for them from the first moments of the play. “When Thom Carroll and Laurie Hardy [the actors playing Mike and Marie] showed up for auditions there was an immediate chemistry between them,” recalls Kowalenko. “There was no need to look further – I had found my Mike and Marie!”

There’s another man and woman at the heart of Legally Gray as well: The playwrighting duo Tony Schwartz and Marylou Ambrose, two acting friends from Pennsylvania who were part of a troupe of actors putting on productions wherever they could find a venue. Eventually they began to write and produce their own shows. “I met Tony a long time ago and inquired about their plays. He recommended Legally Gray and told me about its successful runs in several community theatres,” explains Kowalenko. “I can’t wait for them to attend our July 28 show! It’s a privilege as a director to have the playwright see your work.”

Kowalenko’s last directorial effort was the spinetingling thriller Wait Until Dark also at the Somerset Valley Players. “I love all genres of directing, so it wasn’t that difficult to change gears into comedy,” she states. “Instead of dealing with heartless villains, this time I’m dealing with a loving – if combative – family. It’s fun comic relief.”

Produced by Ed Hayden, stage managed by Harriet Trainor, and sponsored by Affordable Air, Legally Gray runs July 19-August 4 at the Somerset Valley Players theater on 689 Amwell Road (Route 514) in Hillsborough. Friday and Saturday performances begin at 8 p.m. Sunday matinees start at 2 p.m. The theater is air conditioned, barrier free and wheelchair accessible.

For tickets and show times go to www.svptheatre.org.