Everybody remembers their first kiss, Mary Shea said as she took the stage at the South Bronx’s Pregones / Puerto Rican Traveling Theater.
“I remember my first girdle,” she said. The audience roared.
Shea was performing last Wednesday at the Bronx’s borough regionals for the annual Talent Is Timeless competition — a kind of "America's Got Talent" for city seniors. The borough competitions lead into a grand finale for the showcase at Washington Heights’ United Palace Theater on Oct. 16. It will be emceed by actress Jackie Hoffman, a veteran of Chicago’s Second City, the aunt in 2004’s “Garden State” and the crotchety neighbor Uma Heller on “Only Murders in the Building.”
The competition starts on the community level, at Older Adult Centers — Shea represented the Riverdale OAC. Winners progress to the borough regionals, which in turn send three to four acts on to the finale.
Shea’s competition at the Bronx regionals was fierce but friendly, with a diverse array of acts: a rendition of “Moonlight Sonata,” an interpretive dance to Celine Dion’s “It’s All Coming Back to Me,” ensemble dance performances to Motown mixes, a comic, and a rendition of Patsy Cline’s “Crazy.” Shea was the only comic, and played to the elder-audience demographic, with jokes about Ed Sullivan and the Twist.
And while Shea was among the crowd’s favorites, the top prize at the Bronx competition went to Barbara Gray, of the Riverdale Y OAC.
“Crazy,” Gray crooned — bringing Patsy Cline’s signature song new life in 2025. The audience went wild, clapping and singing along. “Sing it, Barb!” one woman shouted.
“It's so nice when you feel the enthusiasm from the audience, and I could hear people yelling out,” Gray said after the event ended, as audience and participants alike poured out onto Walton Avenue. “I came back to sit down and the woman next to me who I didn't know from anyone, said, ‘That was perfect, you're getting number one with that.’”
The contest, now in its third year, is hosted by NYC's Department for the Aging and was launched as a fun way to combat ageism, according to Lorraine Cortés-Vázquez, the department’s commissioner.
“It is our way of saying ability is ageless,” Cortés-Vázquez said of the event, for which entrants must be 60 or older. “They can dance, they can sing. They can still work. They're still contributing. They're the major volunteers that the city has. Respect is what they're looking for. Dignity is what they deserve.”
Ahead of the big all-borough competition, finalists get the opportunity to take classes at the Juilliard Extension School to refine their stage presence and routines.
Barbara Grey, of the Riverdale Y OAC, took home the top prize at the Bronx regional Talent is Timeless competition.
Marilla Li, director of programming for the Chinese-American Planning Council, said participants’ competitive spirit is generally “dialed up to 11” when it comes to preparing for and taking part in Talent Is Timeless. She’s seen hopeful acts rehearse multiple times a day, five days a week.
“You can really feel how important it is to them that they get not only past their older adult center [qualifying] round or the regional round, but they are always looking ahead to that grand finale,” said Li, who has previously judged a qualifying round. When groups don’t progress to the next round, Li said, “I’ve seen just the most disappointed looks on their faces.”
“I feel extremely obligated to tell them that they should still be incredibly proud of themselves.”
This story has been updated to correct the spelling of Barbara Gray's name.
The NORC Lafayette Estate Dancers gave the final performance at the Bronx competition.
