Behind the Curtain: Quartet—When the Spotlight Fades

By Alan Jacobson

What happens when the spotlight fades? That’s the question at the heart of Quartet, Ronald Harwood’s insightful and often very funny play about four retired opera singers sharing life in a home for musicians. But beyond its elegant setting, the play becomes a reflection on something much more universal—how we hold onto identity, relationships, and purpose as time moves forward.

What makes Quartet so engaging is its honesty. These characters are accomplished, opinionated, occasionally difficult—and completely recognizable. Their conversations feel real, their humor feels natural, and beneath it all is a shared history that brings both comfort and complication. Harwood has a remarkable ability to let comedy and poignancy exist side by side. One moment you’re laughing at a perfectly timed exchange… the next, you’re reflecting on something deeper. That balance is what gives the play its resonance.

The setting adds another layer. These are people who once stood center stage, now navigating a different chapter of life. Yet the essential questions remain: Who am I now? Where do I fit? What still matters? Those questions extend far beyond the world of music. And that’s where Quartet connects so beautifully with an audience. You don’t need to know anything about opera to see yourself in these characters. The play speaks to friendship, memory, pride, vulnerability—and the enduring need to be seen and understood.

This is where theater reveals its real power. It creates a shared experience—one where we laugh, reflect, and recognize pieces of ourselves in the lives unfolding on stage. And when a play can do that, it reminds us exactly why live theater still matters—and always will.

Theater veteran Alan Jacobson (founder and former artistic director of the much-admired Plaza Theatre in Palm Beach County) has assembled a superb cast of actors, including himself, his actress/singer wife Melissa Boher Jacobson, Desiree Duncan, and Matthew Rappaport.

There will be two performances of Quartet, as a staged reading, at the Jewish Cultural & Community Center, Calle de las Moras 47 (near the corner of 5 de Mayo), on Monday, April 20, at 7:00 p.m. and Tuesday, April 21, at 4:00 p.m. All seats are 250 pesos

Tickets and details: https://boletocity.com/tc-events/quartet-a-play-by-ronald-harwood/