When a pair of fuddy-duddy widows are moved into a Las Vegas apartment complex by their concerned daughters, they meet a gentleman who sweeps them both off their feet.

It's the laughs-aplenty plot of Bermuda Avenue Triangle, the latest play brought to the stage at Surrey Little Theatre. The show opens Thursday, Jan. 24 and runs until Feb. 16.

On Monday evening, the cast dress-rehearsed the production, written by the married pair of Renee Taylor and Joseph Bologna and directed by Rita M. Price, a Langley resident.

"There are a lot of good laughs in this one, but there's a message too," Price told the Now. "The message is that it doesn't matter how old you become, you still want to love and you still want to be loved. As I write in the director's notes, there may be snow on the roof but there's still fire in the furnace."

Kate Major plays Fanny, an "alta cockers" (Jewish slang for an old and complaining person) who moves in with her Italian-Catholic pal Tess, played by Dr.

Laurie Kortschak. Then along comes Johnny Paolucci (Peter Cowhig), a hard-drinking "horny desert rat," as one character calls him. When things get messy in this love triangle, Rabbi Levine (Michael Powell) comes knocking with threats of eviction, and daughters Rita and Angela (Lisa Suzette Beaulieu and Terry Ford) learn more about their mothers, the happy-dancing residents of apartment 2E on Bermuda Avenue.

Not surprisingly, the laughs involve sex, booze and other adult situations.

"When I'm picking a play to direct," Price said, "I always lean toward comedies. I laugh because I always say that there's enough drama in life, you don't need drama in the theatre - although there are some very good dramas, of course."

Bermuda Avenue Triangle is the fifth production Price has directed for Surrey Little Theatre. She has also directed for Langley Players, Stage 43, Emerald Pig Society, Langley Footlight Players and Metro Theatre.

"When selecting a play, I also look at the number of characters involved, and four to six of them is just about right for community theatre - there is only so much space we have.

"For this one, we looked at the ages of the characters, too - we needed two women in their 60s, two women in their 40s and we have the two men in the production. Historically, more women come out to (audition) than men, so that two-to-one ratio was also desired. There's a joke about that - that when a man shows up to audition he's already got the part because not many men show up. We're always looking for a few good men, for sure," she said with a laugh.

Bermuda Avenue Triangle is the "middle slot" play for Surrey Little Theatre - the second of three productions during the company's 2012-13 season.

"The middle slot always means rehearsals over the Christmas period," Price said, "and it's sometimes difficult to get people together for rehearsals. A lot of people don't want to do that middle-slot play, with everything else going on.. We did get a cast, but I've had easier times of it. The saying is that we don't need a lot of people, we just need good ones. That's the most important thing in theatre."

Tickets are $15 for the production of Bermuda Avenue Triangle. Show times are Thursday to Saturday at 8 p.m., plus 2 p.m. matinees on Feb. 3 and Feb. 10. For details, phone 604-576-8451 or visit www. surreylittletheatre.com.

As Price notes, "our patrons of a certain age may relate to the characters in this play as they struggle to leave their past behind and adjust to new surroundings, and perhaps the opportunity for a fresh start in life."

The third production of SLT's season is Jack Heifner's Home Fires, which opens April 18 and will be the company's entry in the 2013 Fraser Valley zone Theatre BC competition, held from May 19 to 25 at Surrey Little Theatre. The 76seat theatre is located at 7027 184th St., in the Clayton area.

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tzillich@thenownewspaper.com