Romantic oldies to spark stage

TOM TITUS

When two young people move in together without benefit of clergy,

chances are their parents’ eyebrows will be sufficiently raised. But

what happens when the shoes (and support hose) are on the other feet?

The Huntington Beach Playhouse will be exploring this eventuality

next weekend when Henry Denker’s comedy “The Second Time Around”

opens at the Library Theater. Those who chuckled at the playhouse’s

recent production of “Squabbles” surely will get a similar kick out

of this one.

The play’s protagonists, Samuel Jones and Laura Curtis, are quite

a distance along in life. When they fall in love, they decide to live

together so that they can keep the Social Security benefits they

might otherwise lose if they married.

So far, so good. But when they inform their adult children of

their intentions, the younger couples come unglued. Samuel’s

daughter, who is married to her ex-analyst, and Laura’s son, who has

a wife who is paranoid about food additives and their sexual

performance, are appalled by their parents’ behavior.

The bottom line is that everyone is entitled to a little romance

no matter his or her age, because love and companionship is just as

essential for older hearts as it is for young ones. Sometimes it’s

hard to convince the younger hearts of this fact, particularly if

they are your children.

Performances of “The Second Time Around” will be given Thursdays

and Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 3 and 8 p.m., and Sundays at 2

and 7 p.m. until March 13 at the Huntington Beach Library and

Cultural Center Theater, 7111 Talbert Ave., Huntington Beach.

Reservations are being taken at (714) 375-0696.

*

Huntington Beach’s Academy for the Performing Arts will showcase

the moves of its instructors this weekend in a faculty-choreographed

dance concert.

The program will include a variety of classical, modern and

contemporary works under the direction of Diana Makas-Weber, who

heads the high school program.

Weber’s talents will be on display, as will those of Andrea

Elliott, Marie Hoffman, Christy Hernandez, Keith Clifton, Chris

Baltes and Terri Sellers.

Only two performances will be given, Friday and Saturday at 7:30

p.m. in the Huntington Beach High School theater, 1905 Main St.

Tickets are $8 and $10, and reservations are being taken at (714)

536-2514, Ext. 4025.

* TOM TITUS reviews local theater for the Independent.