Old people do it, too

Romantic comedies have been a staple—maybe even the house specialty—at the B Street Theatre … oh, since Bill Clinton was in the Oval Office.

Yes, B Street does ambitious work and always has. But we’ve also seen a plethora of tidy, audience-friendly productions involving attractive 30-somethings slipping in (and out) of love on this small, square stage.

Well, that page turns (kinda) with Sexy Laundry by Michele Riml.

The moderately affluent couple isn’t 30-ish, nor are they hovering on the edge of personal commitment after sex. They’re in their 50s; they’ve been married 25 years; the wife wants to put some zip into a relationship that’s become routine.

Director Buck Busfield surely knows he’s hitting his core constituency where they live. (OK, this writer’s 25th wedding anniversary is next year.) The opening-night audience, recognizing themselves on stage, responded enthusiastically … maybe a bit more enthusiastically than Riml’s reliably warm (if predictable) script actually deserved.

But the cheers were really for Stephanie McVey, who’s marvelous as Alice Lane, the wife who’s put on a few pounds (but still feels the urge and is ready to take the lead). Also good is newcomer Rod Gnapp as Henry Lane, who’s a bit more comfortable in his middle-aged skin.