“Don’t Leave It All To Your Children! reminds you of a combined episode of Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-in and The Carol Burnett Show.

It is for a senior audience looking for humor that resonates with them, their stage in life and their view of life now, including how much it seems to have changed.

One of my favorite lyrics, concerns the trials of watching TV and wondering “if there are any shows on where the actors keep their clothes on.”

The house at the Actor’s Temple was full, and the target audience was clearly relating and enjoying themselves.

Don’t Leave It All To Your Children! started life in the still-fertile mind of Saul Ilson, a five-time EMMY-nominated writer of such shows as The Smothers Brothers. He wrote book, music and lyrics and directed. The show ran four years in Palms Springs, California.  Ilson realized the growing senior demographic would respond to a gently-biting musical review to which it could relate, and he appears to be right.

Being right was helped immensely by the presence of comedian Steve Rossi in the show. Rossi was half of the Allen & Rossi comedy team with Marty (“Hello, Dere!”) Allen.

Rossi has a wonderful voice, a great stage presence and enjoys himself on stage so much you can’t help but enjoy watching him.   He’s joined by Barbara Minkus, who has a slew of Broadway, off-Broadway and TV credits; Marcia Rodd, a Tony-nominee for Shelter, who can still belt it; and Ronnie Schell, who most will remember from Gomer Pyle, USMC, but who also enjoyed a distinguished standup career.

DON’T LEAVE IT ALL TO YOUR CHILDREN hits the bulls-eye with its target market, for whom it is at times funny, ribald and touching.”

By Paul Cozby, About.com

“// The first funny thing about “Don’t Leave It All To Your Children,” the musical revue about baby boomers becoming senior citizens, is the discount given to theater-goers under 55. Then, it’s at the Actor’s Temple Theater, which is an actual synagogue in New York’s theater district, once the spiritual home of Al Jolson and Jack Benny and Sophie Tucker.

In the course of 90 minutes, four veteran performers sing some 20 songs and crack twice as many jokes about growing up in the 1960’s and growing old in the twenty-first century . It is written by Saul Ilson, who spent decades as a writer and producer for such television variety shows as the Smothers

In its own light, good-natured way, the show taps into the widely-held shock by the “Don’t trust anyone over 30”/ Flower Power generation that both they and their pop icons – the show mentions by name Sally Field and Steven Spielberg and Jane Fonda and Raquel Welch and even Beaver Cleaver (Jerry Mather of “Leave It To Beaver”) – have become senior citizens.

The key to the charm of “Don’t Leave It All To Your Children” is the cast. One song makes fun of Ed Sullivan, who is probably now best known as the variety show host who wouldn’t show Elvis below the waist and introduced the Beatles to America. Who better to perform this number than cast member Steve Rossi, who was one-half the comedy team of Allen and Rossi, appearing 44 times on The Ed Sullivan Show. The other stars are familiar faces, Ronnie Schell (who was Duke on “Gomer Pyle” and Marlo Thomas’s agent on “That Girl”), Barbara Minkus (a regular on “Love American Style”) and Marcia Rodd (Johnny Depp’s mother on “21 Jump Street.”) With that kind of pop culture provenance, “Don’t Leave It All To Your Children” should have a retro as well as a geriatric appeal.”

—Jonathan Mandell, CultureMob.com

You don’t have to be old to enjoy DON’T LEAVE IT ALL TO YOUR CHILDREN! This revue celebrates aging, the aged and even death with soft-focus satire and humor.  The vaudevillian sketches, in fact, are perfectly suited to the material.

–Steve Weinstein, Edge Entertainment

This charming off-Broadway revue, welcoming Baby Boomers into the ranks of Senior Citizenry, walks the delicate tightrope between nostalgia and joie de vivre. Saul Ilson, the mastermind behind the musical comedy revue Don’t Leave it All to Your Children, has over 40 years writing for the likes of Billy Crystal, Bill Cosby and the Smothers Brothers Hour. The show’s 90 minutes of skits and songs are fast-paced and reminiscent of both The Smothers Brothers and Rowan and Martin’s “Laugh-In.”

The four showbiz veterans who star in the show are poster children for an energetic, optimistic old age.

The show promises to give baby boomers “a taste of what they have to look forward to.” For those of us who are not in the same “vibe” or age group, we can still enjoy the energy, talent, laughs, and good will of the spirited performances and writing in Don’t Leave It All To Your Children.

–Wendy Sanderson, Best of Off-Broadway.com

James Dybas has joined the cast of the hit Baby Boomer musical revue “DON’T LEAVE IT ALL TO YOUR CHILDREN!, subbing for Ronnie Schell who is taking a leave to fulfill some concert engagements. Ronnie will re-join the cast in early fall. Mr. Dybas joins BARBARA MINKUS (Picon Pie), MARCIA RODD (The Last of the Red Hot Lovers) and STEVE ROSSI (of Allen & Rossi) in the revue written and directed by Saul Ilson (The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour) with musical staging by Rudy Tronto.

Shown: GREG PURNHAGEN as Desi Arnaz

“BABALU-CY!”- the popular new musical starring Greg Purnhagen as Desi Arnaz, resumes performances at The Actors Temple Theatre, 339 West 47^th Street (west of 8^th Avenue) on Saturday, November 1^st at 3 PM.  The musical, subtitled “The Art of Desi Arnaz,” began previews on August 23^rd and, after a brief hiatus, resumes performances this weekend playing on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday afternoons at 3 PM.  Tickets at $55 and $30 are available through www.Telecharge.com or (212) 239-6200.

GREG PURNHAGEN, who conceived, wrote and stars as Desi Arnaz, won the Backstage Bistro Award for his earlier tribute to the beloved Cuban bandleader and singer.  Directed and choreographed by Gene Castle, “BABALU-CY!” features Emily Anne Smith as Lucy plus a seven piece Latin band under the direction of Roy Dunlap with musical arrangements by David Cook.  The musical has lighting by Charles R. Gigantiello, sets by Jana Mattioli and costumes by Rosemary Ponzo.

“BABALU-CY!” looks at Desi Arnaz’ career from his tremendous success as a singer/bandleader to his relationship, on screen and off, with America’s favorite red head.  Songs include many of Arnaz’ signature numbers from his career as a bandleader as well as selections from “I Love Lucy.”

Greg Purnhagen said ”As an adopted half-Cuban child growing up in a non-Latino household, I had no role models, so Desi Arnaz became my link to Cuban culture and music.  I was drawn to the wide variety of music he performed from Tin Pan Alley to the Great American Songbook plus, of course, his Latin hits.  He also bridged the gap between vaudeville, nightclubs and television – always performing before a live audience.  After learning about his incredible life story, the story beyond his role as Ricky Ricardo, I was inspired to create a show that would share my admiration for Desi’s music and immense accomplishments with new audiences.”

GREG PURNHAGEN, who has toured the US, Europe, the Far East, Russia and Australia working with avant-garde artists Philip Glass, Mary Zimmerman, Robert Wilson, Meredith Monk and John Kelly, has also appeared off-Broadway and in cabaret.  In addition to debuting “BABALU-CY!” at The Metropolitan Room in 2007 (winning a Backstage Bistro Award for ‘Best Theme Show’), Greg was in the cast of “Rendezvous” (at Feinstein’s) and has recorded commercially in many genres: Original Cast albums, New Music, Early Music, Avant-Garde opera.  He was a guest vocalist on Bjork’s CD “Medulla.”  For more info on Greg visit www.gregpurnhagen.com.

Director GENE CASTLE began his Broadway career as a ‘Newsboy’ in the original production of GYPSY, subsequently appearing in FLOWER DRUM SONG, HIGH SPIRITS, HENRY, SWEET HENRY and GEORGE M!.  He has directed and choreographed ON THE TOWN for the San Jose Civic Light Opera winning the Bay Area Theatre Critics Award for Best Director, Best choreography and Best Musical.  Other directing credits include MOVIN’ ON, STRIKE UP THE BAND, A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN, OH COWARD!, the film “Kiss Me Goodbye” and the TV special “Bonnie and the Franklins.”

Musical director/Arranger DAVID COOK has worked with Jennifer Hudson, Marianne Faithful, Billy Porter, Darius DeHaas and Shoshana Bean and has toured with such hugely popular acts as NSYNC, JC Chasez, American Idol and Disney’s ‘High School Musical.’

EMILY ANNE SMITH, who plays Lucille Ball, appeared in THE REALLY BIG pirate SHOW at 411 Theatre and has toured with Missoula Children’s Theatre.  She is also a composer and member of the band “Emily and the Swedes.”

The “BABALU-CY!” orchestra, conducted by Roy Dunlap, includes Ravi Best, trumpet; Elizabeth Pupo-Walker, Latin  percussion; James Hirschfeld, trombone; Chad Hochberg, drums; Kurt Stockdale, sax, and Yoshi Waki on bass.

In New York’s theatre district at 339 W. 47th Street, Actors Temple Theatre is located in the historic Actors Temple Synagogue building. In use as an Off-Broadway theatre since 2006. Recent productions include The Big Voice: God or Merman? and The J.A.P. Show: Jewish American Princesses of Comedy.

The theatre seats 199, but can be reconfigured to accommodate up to 240.

For rental information, call (212) 947-3499.