Southern Comforts
Southern Comforts, written by Kathleen Clark, is the latest offering at Theatre 40 in Beverly Hills. Directed by Paul Millet, it is a romantic comedy that features Jacqueline Scott as Amanda and Tim Hodgin as Gus.
Gus is a widower, a World War II veteran now retired, a bit of a curmudgeon and content to spend his time at home. After the loss of his wife, he was never interested in any of the widows from his church who pursued him. Amanda, a widow from Tennessee, was too busy raising her daughter to consider getting married again, but she is still full of spunk Amanda is visiting her daughter in New Jersey who happens to belong to the same church as Gus. Her daughter asks her to drop by Gus’s home to request a collection for the church. (Could her daughter possibly have had a motive?!) While at his home, a thunderstorm strikes and delays Amanda’s leaving. They discover that they both enjoy baseball, and as the time passes, they seem to strike up an interest in each other. Amanda and Gus continue to meet and become closer and eventually speak of marriage. As much as they have in common, they also have some discrepancies between them, but love conquers all. Clarke’s characters can be warm and interesting, but there were a few problems in the play itself. Scott is a seasoned actress, but I was not struck by her performance as Amanda. Hodgin gave a warm and realistic performance as Gus. Set design by Jeff G. Rack, lighting design by Dan Reed were very effective. Continues through December 20, 2009.
Theatre 40
Reuben Cordova Theatre
241 Moreno Drive
Beverly Hils, CA
Reservations: (310) 364-0535
www.theatre40.org for further information