Spirited 'Southern Comfort' Served in Parsippany

The world of theater often taps deeply into the imagination, asking the audience to conjure images of vast landscapes and settings, outrageous occurrences or outright magic.

And sometimes, it knocks you out with simplicity, true-to-life settings and a dedication to honesty.

“Southern Comforts,” which closes out the Women’s Theater Company’s 2011-12 season, falls into the latter camp, with the straightforward depiction of two seemingly mismatched seniors who risk the rewards—and the drawbacks—of a December romance.

Adding to the fun is the Morris County setting of Mine Hill native Kathleen Clark’s popular dramatic comedy. WTC founder and Producing Artistic Director Barbara Krajkowski is now the only person to have directed all three of Clark’s published plays (“Secrets of a Soccer Mom,” seen here a few years ago, is another frequently produced favorite by Clark).

Krajkowski, who has known Clark for nearly 20 years, has a good feel for the material and the perfect little theater for this intimate two-character play. Clark supported Krajkowski’s efforts by attending the opening-night performance on Friday.

Krajkowski added another layer of interest in casting married actors—Robert M. Hedley as Gus, and Nona Pipes as Amanda. Both rushed a bit at first during the opening-night performance, running the lines so quickly that some fun zingers were lost, but quickly found a rhythm and, of course, a natural chemistry.

The couple, who live in New York, brought their best accents across the river to Parsippany. Hedley nailed a chewy North Jersey accent (although it sounded more Paterson than Par-Troy), while Pipes came armed with the playful, melodic southern drawl required of her character.

Based on Clark’s mother, who attended Friday’s performance with her daughter, Amanda is up from Tennessee to visit her daughter. She’s passing time by helping hand out church fliers to the neighborhood, which brings her to the home of Gus, a retired stone mason, which he makes plain is very different from a brick mason. That’s the way he likes things — precise, simple and uncluttered, like his tidy but largely empty home.

The home, we learn, is as lonely as its occupant, a widower who needs little more than an easy chair and a television to watch his ballgames.

Amanda happens by just as a loud thunderstorm gives them a good reason to stay inside and chat. Gus is a man of few words, especially during a thunderstorm, the noise from which he admits has bothered him since his days in the war (the play originally identified him as a World War II veteran, but has been around long enough that he’s aged out of that war to a more recent and unidentified conflict).

Amanda is far more outgoing and doesn’t mind telling Gus, to his embarrassment, that he’s a looker. Hefley’s entertaining body language makes it clear his character is uncomfortable discussing such “intimate matters,” although he doesn’t exactly discourage her compliments.

Bonding further over the ballgame on TV, subsequent scenes quickly escalate their romance, although there are plenty of issues left unresolved. Gus likes things just so, but Amanda has a full moving van (“maybe two”) of furniture and books to bring up from her beloved Tennessee. Amanda likes to travel. Gus has never found anywhere worth going to.

Then there is the emotional baggage each has packed away from their previous—and unhappy—first marriages. Amanda is ready to put the past behind her, but Gus is going to need some help putting his issues to rest.

Certainly, there are many people who would struggle to find the entertainment value in Clark’s simple tale. But for those who like the occasional tug on their heartstrings and find joy in connecting with believable characters, “Southern Comforts” is made to order. Some may snooze through a modestly slapstick scene involving the installation of a stubborn storm window, but for others, this wonderfully executed scene (which required some deft improvisation on Friday when the window went off-script and nearly crashed) will seem too real for fiction. One man in Friday’s audience laughed and said, nearly out loud, “That looks like me,” as he watched Hedley stubbornly struggle to complete a chore that may be beyond his years.

For those who long for a second chance at life and happiness, you’ll want to visit these folks and take some notes.

 The Women’s Theater Company production of “The Last Five Years” runs through May 20 at the ’s Parsippany Playhouse, 1130 Knoll Road, Parsippany. Tickets $20, $18 seniors. For online ticket purchase or information, visit www.womenstheater.org or call 973-316-3033.