Musical set on Whidbey coming to OutCast theater

Romance, community theater, a ghost and more feature in a homegrown production set on Whidbey Island that opens next week as the closing show of OutCast Productions’ 2025 season.

Ten years ago, Freeland residents Ken Merrell and Eileen Soskin collaborated to create “Pasture-ized,” a musical in two acts that had a short run at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Whidbey Island back in 2015. Merrell wrote the script and lyrics, while Soskin provided the music for each song.

A Broadway producer and director in his golden years moves to Whidbey after a heart attack, presumably to rest and recuperate. But he can’t quite leave show business behind, and instead of moving into a cushy retirement home as desired by his family, he purchases a run-down community theater and gets back to work.

Apart from a few changes to the lingo used by the character of a real estate agent, the work was left virtually untouched over the past decade.

“I’m actually kind of amazed at how relevant the content is – in fact, it seems more relevant now,” Merrell said.

Now ten years older than he was when he first wrote “Pasture-ized,” Merrell is more familiar with the tension between younger people thinking they’re doing the right thing by getting their parents to slow down and take care of themselves and the older people who want to retain their agency and still have things they want to do, and refuse to be put out to pasture by their well-meaning kids.

In his 60s, he’s keenly aware of having this conversation with his aging mother, as well as talking with his adult son about getting older. For this reason, “Pasture-ized” is sure to resonate with audience members of all generations. It’s a universal theme, one Merrell believes Shakespeare could have written about.

“If you’re not on one side of this debate, you’re on the other,” Merrell said.

It’s never too late in life to find love, another theme that binds the play together. Romance blossoms between the producer/director protagonist Jerry and Ginny, the owner of a theater arts and dance school, both who are described as being in their late 60s or early 70s.

“It’s a December love story, not a March love story,” Merrell noted cheekily.

Though, there is another romance in the production for a younger couple.

While on summer break from college, Merrell was inspired by a theater in San Rafael, California called the Belrose where he did improv classes. The theater is a converted church, and Merrell was fascinated by the idea – so much so that he found a way to incorporate it into his original musical years later.

Apart from being a rom-com, “Pasture-ized” also has elements of mystery and is a play within a play, as the character Jerry works hard to put on a show at the converted community theater. Audience members may recognize certain references to Whidbey.

For Soskin, writing the music for “Pasture-ized” struck a chord, as she could relate to some of it in her personal life. Merrell enticed her to start out with writing just one song, a touching mother-daughter duet. With two grown-up children of her own, Soskin felt nostalgic about their childhood while writing the piece. It remains her favorite song in the show.

“Ken is motivating, intelligent, incredibly articulate, knows the theater, loves the theater and he just kept saying, ‘You can do this,’” Soskin recalled.

She ended up composing the entire score for 13 musical numbers, working with Merrell as he provided the lyrics and function of the songs. Over the years, the pair have collaborated together on many different kinds of musical revues and smaller shows.

“We call each other Mickey and Judy,” Merrell quipped, referencing the famous on-screen duo of Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney. They both grew up watching old Hollywood movie musicals, from “Singing in the Rain” to films featuring another dynamic duo, Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.

Merrell wanted his musical to have the feel of the “Great American Songbook,” which consists of 20th century American jazz standards, popular songs and show tunes. The result is sentimental, schmaltzy and simple.

“She’s immensely talented,” he said of Soskin.

This marked the first time Soskin wrote original music for a show – and maybe the only time, she said. For the production this time around in 2025, she took on more of a smaller role by providing vocal coaching to the all-Whidbey cast. Pianist Karen Heather is the musical director and plays the keyboard during performances, also doubling as the role of Estelle Maitland, the former ghostly owner of the church.

“People laugh and smile and in the tender parts, cry,” Soskin said. “And I don’t know if there’s a better definition of great art.”

The cast includes Lisa Judd as Linda Keen, Jim Carroll as Jerry Hadwick, Ned Farley as Jack Jackson, Dana Johnson as Ginny McMath, Betsy Koehler Harvey as Kat McMath, Kyle Collins as Chad Hadwick, Christina Boom as Jean Maitland and Robert Finke as Cecil Flintridge.

“Pasture-ized” runs Nov. 14-30 at the OutCast Productions’ Black Box Theater, located on the Whidbey Island Fairgrounds in Langley. Tickets are selling fast, and only a few remain for the first two weekends of the show; both Sunday matinees have already sold out. Tickets to 7:30 p.m. performances on Friday and Saturday nights cost $18 for students and seniors and $22 for adults. To purchase, visit outcastproductions.net or email ocp@whidbey.com to reserve a ticket and pay for it at the door by cash or check.