Cedar Crest Resident Howard Myers Writes Original Comedy about Seniors on Internet Dates

What happens when senior citizens try to find love through internet dating? Cedar Crest resident Howard Myers explores this topic in his original comedy “Seniors’ Fates on Internet Dates,” a hilarious rhyming scrapbook of the foibles and misadventures of mature-age couples with names like Sally Savvy and Chick Hunter and Terri Tango and Spud Couch.

“I wanted to write something funny that is of interest to the residents of Cedar Crest,” said Myers, who is 76 years old.

The slapstick comedy is the first play penned by Myers, who discovered his passion for creative writing when he joined Cedar Crest’s Poetry Writing Group after moving to campus nine years ago.

A native of Kansas City, Myers received his MBA in International Business from the Wharton Business School. He worked as a marketing professional at companies in Asia and AT&T and then had a second career as a mathematics teacher and administrator at Essex County Vocational Schools in Newark, New Jersey.

“I had experience writing strategic marketing plans and grants, but I didn’t write poetry until I moved to Cedar Crest,” said Myers.

He has a knack for rhyming and putting together humorous prose, and many of his pieces have been published in Cedar Crest’s monthly newsletter Mountain Matters.

Myers said online dating wasn’t available when he came of age in the 1960s. He met his wife Virginia the old-fashioned way--through mutual friends. Happily married for 48 years, they have lived in many countries in Asia including India, Singapore, Indonesia, and Malaysia. Before moving to Cedar Crest, they resided in Mountain Lakes, New Jersey, where they raised their son and daughter.

The play, performed by members of the resident group The Impresarios of Cedar Crest, will premiere on August 7 at 2 p.m. in Mountainview Gardens. The event is free and open to the public. Cedar Crest, an active continuing care retirement community, is located at 1 Cedar Crest Village Drive in Pompton Plains, New Jersey.

Cast includes Myers and residents Peter Gerardi, Donna Inez, Carolyn Krause, Bill Twardzik, Doris Rosenthal, Alice Ruggieri, Natalie Soverno and Jack Stern. The show’s pianist is Marilyn Kaplan.