Adults-Only Plays: Gritty Side of Small-Town Marriages

Mellisa Stein and Christie Iverson in “Laundry & Bourbon.”

By MARY ANN ROEHM
Arts Enter Cape Charles

November 17, 2014

The Arts Enter Cape Charles Players will present two one-act comedies at the Historic Palace Theatre opening Thursday, November 20 at 7:30 p.m. The plays will continue through the weekend with shows Friday and Saturday evenings at 7:30 p.m. and a Sunday matinee at 3 p.m.

The one-act comedies “Lonestar” and “Laundry & Bourbon” were written by James McLure. In “Laundry and Bourbon,” directed by Clelia Sheppard, the action centers on the discontent and very funny gossip of three small-town wives whose marriages have turned out to be less than was hoped for.

The setting is the front porch of Roy (JP Paré) and Elizabeth’s (Christie Iverson) home in Maynard, Texas, on a hot summer afternoon. Elizabeth and her friend Hattie (Mellisa Stein) are whiling away the time folding laundry, watching TV, sipping bourbon and Coke, and gossiping about the many open secrets which are so much a part of small-town life. They are joined by the self-righteous Amy Lee (Sherri DeMarino) who, among other tidbits, can’t resist blurting out that Roy has been seen around town with another woman. While the ensuing conversation is increasingly edged with bitter humor, from it emerges a sense of Elizabeth’s inner strength and her quiet understanding of the turmoil which has beset her husband since his return from Vietnam. He is wild, and he is unfaithful, but he needs her, and she loves him. And she’ll be waiting for him when he comes home — no matter what others may say or think.

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“Laundry & Bourbon” was written as a companion piece to “Lonestar.” Directed by Mellisa Stein, the play is a hilarious study of a pair of Texas “good ol’ boys” on a Saturday night carouse. The play takes place in the cluttered backyard of a small-town Texas bar. Roy, a brawny, macho type who had once been a local high-school hero, is back in town after a hitch in Vietnam and is trying to reestablish his position in the community. Joined by his younger, worshipful brother, Ray (Sagre Stutzman), Roy sets about consuming a case of beer while regaling Ray with tales of his military and amorous exploits. Apparently Roy cherishes three things above all: his country, his sexy young wife, and his 1959 pink Thunderbird. With the arrival of Cletis (Ian Paré), the fatuous, newlywed son of the local hardware store owner, the underpinnings of Roy’s world begin to collapse as it gradually comes out that Ray had slept with his brother’s wife during his absence and, horror of horrors, has just demolished his cherished Thunderbird. But, despite all, the high good humor of the play never lapses, and all ends as breezily and happily as it began.

The plays constitute a full evening of theatre fun. Tickets are available at the Stage Door Gallery and at the door. Adults are $15. The plays are not suitable for children.