ALIVE And KICKING: LAUGHTER NEVER GETS OLD Gets Its World Premiere in St. Charles

ALIVE and KICKING: LAUGHTER NEVER GETS OLD, about the joys and jokes of senior life in America, will have its world premiere at the Moonlight Theatre, July 11-20, in St. Charles, IL.

The show was conceived and written by Stephan DeGhelder, an award-winning lyricist/comedy writer (LICENSE TO BASH, PRIME RIBBING, LAUGHING MATTERS) and playwright (A KISS FROM ALEXANDER, MEETING MR. RIGHT, WHEN JENNY COMES MARCHING HOME, DICKENS OF A CAROL), and Broadway/Regional theatre veteran.

DeGhelder began writing satirical comedy shows during the 1994 election between Clinton, Perot and George H.W. Bush for LICENSE TO BASH, in Sarasota, FL, to rave reviews. The show ran in cabarets and theatre venues, with various iterations keeping up with the news and local topics in that area for many years. His political show, PRIME RIBBING, another political/satirical revue, had a successful run in 2011 in Asheville, NC.

In ALIVE AND KICKING: LAUGHTER NEVER GETS OLD, "A talented cast of vibrant seniors, and a couple of juniors for that wrinkle-free look, will entertain you with clever replace-the-lyrics song parodies and comedy sketches," DeGhelder said. "The show is a departure from skewing political figures and hot-button topics because right now, we need some good, old-fashioned humor and fun. Think Carol Burnett show meets Forbidden Broadway. Yes, we're that old."

Theatergoers in the Chicagoland area may remember his Gay Fantasy musical A KISS FROM ALEXANDER, which had its world premiere at the Bailiwick in Chicago in 2006, garnering four nominations from the prestigious Jefferson Citation Awards, including Best New Musical. ALIVE AND KICKING features an original song, "Souvenirs," by Composer/Musical Director Brad Simmons (HOOD: THE ROBIN HOOD MUSICAL ADVENTURE, (LYSISTRATA JONES, TO Wong Foo THE MUSICAL(upcoming) who has collaborated with DeGhelder on several projects, including Alexander.

The Moonlight Theatre is a "great space for what I call 'Manhattan-style Cabaret theatre,'" DeGhelder said. According to the website, the theatre in downtown St. Charles, IL, has its roots in Vaudeville and silent movies. Built in 1900, the Idle Hour Theater was known in its early years solely for its live Vaudeville entertainment. The Idle Hour Theater closed in 1926; the last film shown was "Road to Mandalay" starring Lon Chaney. Though the building has gone through many owners and has housed several different businesses over the years, the new owners have lovingly restored the theatrical space and the entertainment venue will live on as Moonlight Theatre.