BWW Q&A: Paul Stroili on A JUKEBOX FOR THE ALGONQUIN at Curtain Call Inc.

At a senior living community in the Adirondacks, a small group of residents decide they’re not quite ready to “go gentle into that good night.” This band of displaced former city dwellers from Brooklyn and The Bronx hatch a plot to prove that aging is not a New York state of mind. A Jukebox for the Algonquin is a tale about those who will not be forgotten – a serious comedy about sex, drugs, and rocking chairs.

Playwright Paul Stroili is a resident artist at Jeff Daniels’ Purple Rose Theatre where A Jukebox for The Algonquin celebrated its World Premiere. The recipient of a Wilde Award for Best New Play of 2023, A Jukebox For The Algonquin was also a finalist in the Austin Film Festival Playwrighting competition. Stroili’s other plays include My Mother and the Michigan/Ohio War, Cheese Louise (with Maureen Morley), Plane Crazy (with Cissy Conner) and My Dinner with Arlecchino.

His play, Last Call at The Aardvark is currently available through Next Stage Press. Stroili’s autobiographical solo show, Straight Up with a Twist, toured for nearly nine years, with over 1000 performances nationwide, culminating in a twice extended Off Broadway run.

His writing has also appeared in Los Angeles Magazine and The Chicago Tribune and his screenplay for the short film, The Beating was added to the curriculum at Columbia College in their course of study in filmmaking. Paul served as Executive Producer for the award-winning feature film WAKE, directed by Cyrus Mirakhor and starring Jo Koy. As an actor, producer and director, Paul has enjoyed a career spanning four decades in theatre, film and television.

Learn more at paulstroili.com.

What inspired you to create A Jukebox for The Algonquin?

When I was in high school, I worked in the maintenance department of Salem Hills Health Related Facility in Purdy’s, New York. In the politically incorrect days of the early 1980’s, we called it a nursing home.

It was a summer job that involved mostly mops and buckets and toilets. I expected to hate it. I needed the money, but I dreaded the idea of being stuck around a bunch of old people all day.

I couldn’t have been more wrong. They fascinated me. Their stories, their humor, their dignity, even their sadness. I was not surrounded by old people; I was surrounded by people who had just lived longer. They welcomed this awkward teenager with a bunch of questions about their lives. I learned that conversation was their oxygen.

So affected was I with this experience that forty years later, the memories were still visceral, poignant and funny. I was moved to write a play powered by the spirit of the folks who so shaped my early journey. After sharing the first eight pages of the initial draft with my wife, she replied – “I love these people. Keep going.”

How do you feel about having so many productions of Jukebox presented in theatres across the country in the past year?

It’s kind of astounding. We saw right off with the World Premiere at Jeff Daniels’ Purple Rose Theatre in Chelsea, Michigan that people connected with the show and the characters in a way that exceeded expectations. Curtain Call is producing the sixth production of the show so far, but we have another seven productions slated for 2025 and are already confirming booking for 2026 and 2027. I’m especially proud that the show is ethnically and generationally diverse, and that it also provides vital, fun and challenging roles for actors “of a certain age.” Roles for older actors dwindle over time and this story is rich with interesting characters.

What is your history as a CT native son? (Where did you grow up? Go to school?)

Born in Greenwich, grew up in Ridgefield and graduated from Ridgefield High School. Still have family in Newtown and Southbury, and I try to make it back as often as possible. The Ridgefield School System was encouraging and actively supportive of the arts; music, theatre, dance, literature… and the community was as well. I certainly hope that is still the case, but with all the recent cuts to Arts funding it’s much more difficult to provide this sort of support to creative young people.

What theatres have you worked at in the CT area?

With the exception of Curtain Call, (which hosted my solo show Straight Up with a Twist about twenty years ago!) and my youth working with The Ridgefield Workshop for the Performing Arts, I haven’t worked at many Connecticut venues. I’ve lived in Los Angeles and Chicago and most of my post college work took place in those cities.

What is your next project or a show we can reference (Mother & MI/OH War production at Purple Rose?)

My latest play, My Mother and The Michigan/Ohio War is currently enjoying a sold out World Premiere at The Purple Rose Theatre. I am actively at work on the next one, entitled There’s No Bad Ravioli. In addition, both Jukebox and my play Last Call at The Aardvark have been adapted into screenplays. Anyone who may be interested can keep up with all the upcoming projects and productions at www.PaulStroili.com