'It hurts to let go': After 45 years, Quincy's JM Productions to stage one last cabaret

R. Scott Reedy
·4 min read

QUINCY – Like many longstanding businesses, Quincy's JM Productions – a live entertainment presenter on the South Shore – is adjusting its traditional business model to stay afloat during these challenging times.

Indeed, the company’s founder, president and producing director, John F. McDonald Jr., says he has decided that what was initially planned as a reunion show this week launching JM Productions’ 45th season will now be its farewell to dinner theater and cabaret productions.

Rehearsing a song for the upcoming JM Productions 45th anniversary cabaret show that will be presented on Sept. 30 at the Woodward School in Quincy are, from left, Sheila Fahey, of Dorchester; Jennifer Fahey, of Dorchester; and Ann Kenneally-Ryan, of Quincy, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022.
Rehearsing a song for the upcoming JM Productions 45th anniversary cabaret show that will be presented on Sept. 30 at the Woodward School in Quincy are, from left, Sheila Fahey, of Dorchester; Jennifer Fahey, of Dorchester; and Ann Kenneally-Ryan, of Quincy, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022.

“This show was intended to be our season opener, but it will instead be our swan song,” McDonald said by telephone from his Quincy home. “JM Productions will no longer present traditional book shows and cabaret. Pandemic-related capacity limitations and decreasing group sales have made both less economically viable.”

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The cabaret performance, “Hey Old Friends” – scheduled for 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 30,  at Quincy’s Woodward School – will reunite more than a dozen JM Productions performers for one final night of song, dance and reminiscence.

JM Productions of Quincy Executive Director John McDonald directs his cast for the upcoming cabaret show during a rehearsal Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022.
JM Productions of Quincy Executive Director John McDonald directs his cast for the upcoming cabaret show during a rehearsal Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022.

Joining emcee McDonald will be Sheila Fahey, Jennifer Fahey and Cheryl Jost, of Neponset; Kathy Teevens Fitzpatrick, Cheri Kelly and Ann Kenneally Ryan, of Quincy; Paul and Marybeth Kelly, Patty O’Connell Lee and Maryjo Welch, of Braintree; Janice Walker, of Framingham; music director Sarah Troxler, of Plymouth; and percussionist Jesse Stiglich, of Marshfield.

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McDonald began JM Productions in 1977 while a high school junior at the former St. Ann School in Wollaston.

“The very first show I directed and produced was ‘Bye Bye Birdie,’ which starred all my friends. It was definitely a fly-by-the-seat-of-your pants production,” recalls McDonald with a laugh. “I didn’t know anything about putting on a show. I just knew I loved musical theater.”

JM Productions of Quincy Executive Director John McDonald, center, joins the cast of "Hey Old Friends." From left, Music Director Sarah Troxler, of Plymouth; Ann Kenneally-Ryan, of Quincy; Jennifer Fahey, of Dorchester; and Sheila Fahey, of Dorchester, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022.
JM Productions of Quincy Executive Director John McDonald, center, joins the cast of "Hey Old Friends." From left, Music Director Sarah Troxler, of Plymouth; Ann Kenneally-Ryan, of Quincy; Jennifer Fahey, of Dorchester; and Sheila Fahey, of Dorchester, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022.

With “Hey Old Friends,” McDonald and his fellow singers and dancers will perform selections from Broadway musicals including “Mame,” “Jesus Christ Superstar,” “A Chorus Line” and “Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella,” as well as numbers from off-Broadway’s “Little Shop of Horrors” and the JM Productions original “What Christmas Means to Me.”

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For McDonald – who has presented shows at Quincy venues including the Woodward School, the Common Market, the Tirrell Room, the Fox & Hound Wood Grille and Tavern and the Marriott Boston Quincy, plus Raffael’s in Quincy, Hingham and Hull – saying goodbye to a once-key segment of his business is bittersweet.

“It hurts to let go, because I’ve never done anything in my life for as long as I’ve done JM Productions,” said McDonald, who has had a long and varied career in show business.

Music Director Sarah Troxler, of Plymouth, left, plays the keyboard as singers rehearse a song for the upcoming show at the Woodward School in Quincy. Clockwise from second left, Sheila Fahey, of Dorchester; Jennifer Fahey, of Dorchester; and Ann Kenneally-Ryan, of Quincy, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022.
Music Director Sarah Troxler, of Plymouth, left, plays the keyboard as singers rehearse a song for the upcoming show at the Woodward School in Quincy. Clockwise from second left, Sheila Fahey, of Dorchester; Jennifer Fahey, of Dorchester; and Ann Kenneally-Ryan, of Quincy, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022.

An early position with Click Models in New York, where he served as personal assistant to Isabella Rossellini, led to similar opportunities with Academy Award winners Marisa Tomei, Cher and Faye Dunaway; Tony winners Julie Harris, Charles Nelson Reilly, Lauren Bacall and Matthew Broderick; internet sensation Randy Rainbow, and music icon Paul McCartney.

McDonald said he is considering writing a book detailing his days as a personal assistant and dresser. In the meantime, however, his local commitments are keeping him more than busy.

Music Director Sarah Troxler, of Plymouth, plays keyboard during rehearsal of JM Productions' 45th anniversary cabaret show that will be presented on Friday, Sept. 30, at the Woodward School in Quincy, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022.
Music Director Sarah Troxler, of Plymouth, plays keyboard during rehearsal of JM Productions' 45th anniversary cabaret show that will be presented on Friday, Sept. 30, at the Woodward School in Quincy, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022.

In his capacity as special events coordinator for Quincy mayor’s office, McDonald is planning Quincy’s annual Food Truck and Musical Festival – featuring 25 food trucks, the famed Oscar Mayer Wienermobile and live music – which will take place on Coddington Street from noon to 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 1.

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And while his JM Productions may be stepping away from dinner theater and cabaret, it will continue its collaboration with Boston Comedy Fest. Stand-up comic Ken Rogerson will headline the next Comedy Fest show at the Marriott Quincy on Oct.  22, McDonald said.

JM Productions of Quincy Executive Director John McDonald, second from left, goes over a scene for his cabaret show that will be presented Sept. 30 at the Woodward School in Quincy with cast members, from left, Sheila Fahey, of Dorchester; Jennifer Fahey, of Dorchester; Music Director Sarah Troxler, of Plymouth, and Ann Kenneally-Ryan, of Quincy, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022.

“And we’ll also still have seasonal showboat cruises out of Squantum Point Park at Marina Bay and our ‘Rising Stars’ workshops for young people taught by Broadway performers,” he said.

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McDonald said he is looking forward to seeing many of his friends and longtime, loyal audience members at Friday's show.

“We’ll never get all these performers together again on one stage,” McDonald said. “It will be emotional for many of us, but it’ll also be fun to do a reunion show like this.”

Rehearsing a song for the upcoming JM Productions show that will be presented at the Woodward School in Quincy are, from left, Music Director Sarah Troxler, Sheila Fahey, Jennifer Fahey and Ann Kenneally-Ryan on Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022.
Rehearsing a song for the upcoming JM Productions show that will be presented at the Woodward School in Quincy are, from left, Music Director Sarah Troxler, Sheila Fahey, Jennifer Fahey and Ann Kenneally-Ryan on Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022.

'Hey Old Friends'

When: 8 p.m. Sept.  30 

Where: The Woodward School, 102 Hancock St., Quincy

Tickets: $30 and $35 at https://ticketstothecity.com/jm 

Info: 857-333-4199 or jmproductionspresents.com

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This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: After 45 years, Quincy's JM Productions to stage one last musical