Pictured: Richie McCall and William Selby in "Older Than Dirt." Photo by Matthew Holler.

Florida Studio Theatre (FST) tackles aging head-on and with a sense of humor with its latest production for the cabaret stage, Older Than Dirt. Part of the theater’s ongoing For The Ages project using the stage to explore issues surrounding aging, the show reunites the creative team behind FST’s popular Laughing Matters for another round of sketch comedy and musical parody celebrating (and bemoaning) the toll that time takes on all.

“A lot of that process can be unpleasant and depressing,” admits FST Producing Artistic Director Richard Hopkins, “but other parts can be a lot of fun.” And that’s what Hopkins, FST Managing Director Rebecca Hopkins and regular “co-conspirators” Stephan DeGhelder and Nick Santa Maria, have been keeping in mind for the last four years, writing sketches and collecting songs to parody for Older Than Dirt. Starring FST veterans Dane Becker, Richie McCall, Emily Mikesell and William Selby, and with musical arrangement and accompaniment by Jim Prosser, the cast sings and snarks their way through everything from the physical woes of timeworn flesh to the perils of re-entering the dating game with expired mojo.

But though many of the jokes may be at the expense of things only the most experience among the audience have direct relation to, the content is relevant to all, says Hopkins, and that’s what makes Older Than Dirt resonate—aging is the great equalizer. “Even if you’re not aging yourself, you’ve certainly got a grandparent or a parent who is and friends who are,” he says. “This is to see what we all are going through or are going to go through. This is another great step in life.”

Currently onstage, Older Than Dirt runs through June 11.

Pictured: Richie McCall and William Selby in "Older Than Dirt." Photo by Matthew Holler.