I’ve known Lowell-born playwright, actor and director Jack Neary for 40 years, more or less, ever since his play “First Night” was produced in its world premiere at Merrimack Repertory Theatre.
Since then, Neary has developed remarkably as a playwright, won awards, seen two of his plays produced off-Broadway and met and directed some celebrities that have become friends.
Now, he’s written about those celebrities and more and set it to music in the play “Almost Almost Famous, A Life on the Verge of the Verge.”
John and Deirdre Budzyna, producers of Acting Out Productions, present the musical play at the Firehouse Center for the Arts, One Market Square, Newburyport, for two performances only on Friday, May 1, at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, May 2, at 2:30 p.m.
The show features Neary, in the musical and comic walk through of his life in the theater, and his encounters with show people like Gordon Clapp, Tab Hunter, Cindy Williams, Eddie “The Big Ragu” Mekka and others.
“If you want to hear about Cindy Williams climbing all over an enormous monkey paw in my ‘Kong’s Night Out’ or my meeting with Julie Harris or about me auditioning a pre-‘Two and a Half Men’ Jon Cryer for ‘First Night’ or my lunch with a post-‘Da Doo Ron Ron’ Shaun Cassidy, come and see the show,” said Neary.
Neary will be accompanied by Jon Abrams, a highly regarded local musician who has played sold-out shows featuring the music of Billy Joel, Paul Simon, Elton John and more at the Rex Theatre in Manchester, N.H., and many other venues.
“He also happens to be my nephew. But don’t hold that against him,” Neary quipped, adding, “There’ll be songs by Rodgers and Hammerstein, Stephen Sondheim, Frank Loesser, Irving Berlin, Johnny Mercer and others. Basically, tunes from the Great American Songbook. Everything will be hummable. Even the Sondheim stuff.” Tickets are available at firehouse.org or by calling 978-462-7336.
IN THE WINGS: PASSPORT TO SOUND: Lowell Philharmonic Orchestra invites all to its family concert “Passport to Sound” on Saturday, May 9, at 2 p.m. at the Chelmsford Senior Center, 75 Groton Road, North Chelmsford.
For $25, visit Persia, England, Russia, Thailand and America without a passport or TSA lines. For tickets and more info, visit https://tinyurl.com/mtu2u8dc.
AT MECHANICS IN WORCESTER: May arrives with a bang at Mechanics Hall in Worcester. The Awesome ’80s Prom at 7 p.m. on Saturday, May 2, is the ultimate night of nostalgia, neon and non-stop fun. Whether you lived through the 80s or just love the music, this is your chance to step back in time for a night filled with dancing, live music, and throwback vibes. Visit https://tinyurl.com/2tnx93zz for tickets and info.
Nancye Tuttle’s email address is [email protected].