A community theater group for performers 50 and older brings its fall variety show to Mount Clemens Oct. 23-25, with a Rochester Hills resident among the performers and an Oakland Township resident among its members.
Heart of the Hills Players will stage "Galaxy of Stars" at American Legion Post No. 4, 401 N. Groesbeck Hwy., Mount Clemens. The show features music, dancing, comedy and skits, including playful takes on "The Addams Family" and "Gilligan's Island," performed by a cast of about 16 with a behind-the-scenes crew, The Oakland Press first reported.
Lorrie Garrison, a Rochester Hills soprano who joined the group in 2007, is among the performers. Allison Boggs of Oakland Township is also a member.
Garrison's first Heart of the Hills production was a variety show. "When I heard the applause and saw the excitement in the audience and the smiles on people's faces, it just hooked me," she told The Oakland Press.
Since then, Garrison has taken on roles in "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown," "Nunsense" and "Thoroughly Modern Millie," in which she played the title role. In "Nunsense," she played Sister Mary Amnesia, a part that required her to shift among her regular singing voice, a puppet voice and a country singing style.
The group, formed in 1985, does not have a permanent theater. It has performed at several venues over the years as costs and circumstances changed.
President Mary Jo Gunther, who joined in 2020, told The Oakland Press she wants people to know that seniors are "still able to perform, and they want to be heard." Members also take smaller shows to senior living and memory care communities, where they hold residents' hands as they sing and recognize veterans and Rosie the Riveters in the audience.
George Myrick, 75, is one of the group's newer members. He spent much of his adult life in Illinois working in a technical field and doing theater, then returned to Michigan in 2018. He learned about Heart of the Hills through a connection in the Rochester Community Chorus and performed in the group's 2025 Retro Rewind variety show, including a Blues Brothers-inspired "Soul Man" number.
The stage pulled him back.
Showtimes are 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 23, and Saturday, Oct. 24, and 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 25. Tickets cost $18 in advance, $20 at the door and $15 each for groups of 10 or more. The venue is not wheelchair accessible, and wheelchair-accessible restrooms are not available, according to the theater group's official website.
Information is available at hohplayers.org or by email at [email protected].
