'Southern Comforts' roots for love at any age in Roswell

As Yogi Berra so memorably noted, "It ain't over 'til it's over," and that is true in baseball and in love. That is the message of "Southern Comforts," one of the best romantic comedies to come along in years.

Georgia Ensemble Theatre is kicking off the New Year with this funny, warm examination of relationships at the far end of the spectrum. A loosely biographical memoir of her grandmother, Kathleen Clark's play examines the December to December love story of two unlikely 70-somethings discovering love decades after they thought they were beyond such foolishness. Lord what fools these mortals be.

Gus is a New Jersey widower set in his ways. Amanda, a widow, has come north from her Tennessee home for a visit with her daughter. Gus and Amanda meet, find an attraction and then must decide if opposites can attract at their age.

Of course they agree about very little: She's a good southern Democrat, he's a good Yankee Republican. She's a church-every-Sunday Christian, he's somewhat less enthusiastic. He's taciturn and set in his ways, she is feisty, vivacious and still has the charm of the belle of the ball.

Well, love has conquered larger obstacles than these. But can they happily ever after?

"Southern Comforts" has continued to grow in popularity on the regional theater circuit after its debut in 1987 and ran successfully off-Broadway in 2007.

Georgia Ensemble Theatre Artistic Director Robert Farley has directed it twice and now is bringing it to GET for the third time in 11 months for a run in the suburbs.

"This play is so lovely and so drop-dead funny," Farley said. "And what you learn from this is that meeting later in life is just as compelling and in some ways more complex than falling in love at a much younger stage of life."

This older generation doesn't just sit back and watch the sunset. They get out and make things happen, Farley said.

His first run at "Comforts" was with the Theatrical Outfit downtown, then he directed it again at the Florida Studio, Florida's second largest theater. Both had hugely successful runs.

"It's one of the most popular romantic comedies today. Theaters all over the country are producing it," Farley said. "It's a comedy for the chronologically gifted."

He said it is easily the most popular play he's done since "Daisy" (as in "Driving Miss ..."). And that is no faint praise being compared to the most popular play ever presented in Atlanta.

But what "Southern Comforts" offers is what we all want out of life. A second chance.
- www.northfulton.com

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