Looking for romance and sex

There is a line in Norm Foster’s play, Looking, that sums up the contemporary dating pool.

“I think I’ll go home and stick my ass in the wood chipper. It’s a lot less painful,” says Andy after a miserable second date with Val.

In this St. Albert Theatre Troupe production now playing at the Kinsmen Banquet Centre, four middle-aged singles are searching for love, romance and sex, and having a hard time finding it.

Val, an operating room nurse, Andy, a storage unit businessman and Matt, a morning show personality are divorced with adult children. Nina, a savvy cop, has never walked down the aisle.

They gather at the Private Dick Pub on a blind date after Andy puts a personal advertisement in a newspaper attracting Val’s attention. And of course, the two protagonists bring their best friends along as a buffer.

They are all stock characters. Val is a woman that can tick off all her assets. She’s smart, has a good job, is fit and dresses well. But she’s also beating the bushes for that elusive “magic.”

Andy is one of the good guys who is jaded after having been jilted too many times. Despite low self-esteem, he wants to “live on the cutting edge of life.” Unfortunately his insecurities undercut his every move.

Matt, on the other hand, is more laid back, affable and quick-witted. He’s the wingman that charms women. Nina is the group flirt, a savvy woman that does her job well. But she’s been looking for love in all the wrong places.

They are four romantically bruised souls in search of more than just a one-night stand. But as Foster points out, it’s impossible to find a good romantic fit by pretending to be something you are not.

Global weatherman Kevin O’Connell is the perfect Andy, a prickly guy on the outside with a lovable, soft streak inside. O’Connell is a natural and genuine actor, and his warmth makes you keep rooting for Andy.

Cory Christensen, an actor-singer with stage credits in a variety of musicals, makes his debut at St. Albert Theatre Troupe as Matt. Christensen, who croons with a seven-piece jazz band, puts his melodious voice to good use as a deejay at a radio station. And as a long-time thespian, he can switch emotional gears with intensity and believability.

Anne-Marie Smyth’s Nina is the gutsy, tough girl with the heart of gold who can take care of herself – except in the arena of romance. Smyth deftly juggles the controlled cop personality with a woman’s passions waiting to erupt after being held in check for too long.

Unfortunately, Laurie Borle is the production’s weak link. She appears to be trying too hard and never fully translates Val’s sweetness, her vulnerabilities and fear of being hurt.

If anything, Foster reminds us that love is not just the territory of 20-somethings. The humour, underscored by heartache, is a reminder that even grey-haired folk have a healthy interest in it. And if you are over 40, there is a good chance you will recognize something of yourself in Looking.

Looking runs Nov. 8-9, 13-16 and 20-22.