Southern Comforts: Well-Seasoned Romantic Comedy

If there's a funnier, more enchanting or better-acted romantic comedy playing in New York than Kathleen Clark's Southern Comforts, I sure can't name it.  The new production by Primary Stages, directed with a sweet perkiness by Judith Ivey, never strays far from the basic formula of lively liberal girl meets gruff conservative boy, but Clark's writing is bright and charming and two of the New York stage's succulently seasoned pros, Penny Fuller and Larry Keith, deliver warm, humorous portrayals of septuagenarians falling in love. 

Larry Keith plays Gus; a crusty widower living alone in his comfy, but sparsely furnished rural New Jersey home.  Enter Penny Fuller, dripping honey and radiating sunshine as Tennessee widow Amanda, who is soliciting church donations while visiting her daughter.  A sudden thunderstorm motivates the protective Gus to invite Amanda to stay awhile and they begin bonding over a love of baseball.  (Sound designer T. Richard Fitzgerald tricked me into thinking it really was storming outside the theatre Amanda notices how the racket makes Gus' hands tremble.The noise brings back horrible memories from serving in "the war."  Her late husband was haunted by the same memories.Gus is not ready to discuss the details of his own unhappy marriage. 

As the two begin growing into a couple, issues crop up which are unique to senior singles.  Is their relationship based on romantic love, or simply a need for companionship in their final years?  ("All I was looking for was to find one person to be sad when I'm dead.")  Is it possible to compromise conflicting lifestyles that each has had for decades.  And, of course, who is still able (or even willing) to do what in the bedroom? 

But the main issue concerns loyalty to a deceased spouse.  When Amanda finds that Gus had no intention to change his plan to be buried next to his first wife, it creates the most serious rift in their relationship. 

If any of this sounds morbid, it's all handled with a healthy, realistic attitude of death as an inevitable.  It's living in loneliness that is to be feared.  And while Clark's story may seem predictable and clichéd, her writing is fresh and lively.  Fuller and Keith give tremendously detailed performances with a seemingly natural ease. 

There's a down comforter feel to the whole production, with Thomas Lynch's cozy set, Joseph G. Aulisi's attractive costumes and Brian Nason's seasonal lighting.  The elements may be familiar here, but they all work beautifully.  Southern Comforts is a joy from start to finish. 

Photos of Penny Fuller and Larry Keith by James Leynse

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