Gus (Van Dusen) is a crotchety but attractive old widower who lives alone in the New Jersey house he was born in, meticulously clean and spare of furnishings. He has warded off enticements offered by the ladies of his church and managed to stay single, but a surprise visit from longtime widow Amanda (Learned), collecting donations for her daughter's church during a thunderstorm, catches him off guard, and romance ensues. She's a Southerner from Tennessee, he's a Northerner with the requisite crustiness, and both actors take advantage of every nuance offered by the characterizations.
Aaron captures the charm of late-in-life romance with subtlety, avoiding sugary sentimentality. When Amanda asks Gus why he characterizes his first wife as unhappy, he replies, "Don't know. Didn't ask."
When Amanda and Gus agree to marry, she moves in and sets about changing his life. A neat touch is executed at the end of intermission: Amanda and her movers fill Gus' sparse house with all the furniture from her Southern home. This is only the beginning of the vast changes they have to navigate to arrive at true romance.
Kurt Boetcher's handsome two-
story set is a plus for the storyline, particularly in a comic scene with Amanda and Gus changing the second-story storm windows. Lighting designer Dan Weingarten also adds artful storm and mellow ambient lighting to set the mood for the home.
This production makes a delightful entry in International City Theatre's 2011 "Season of Romantic Adventures." It has the right amount of humor mixed with situations that most people who have ever shared a life together can identify with. Clark has the touch that makes her story believable.
Presented by and at International City Theatre, Long Beach Performing Arts Center, 300 E. Ocean Blvd., Long Beach. Mar. 18–Apr. 10. Thu.–Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 2 p.m. (562) 436-4610. www.internationalcitytheatre.org.