It is pouring outside, the drive is at least 30 minutes long, and we aren't even dressed for the occasion. The computer decides to take ages to close down. We dress and go on our way with growling stomachs. The highway to Hamilton is choked with traffic, it rains with buckets, not just drops. We make the front of the theatre five minutes before curtain time. I rush to get the tickets, he parks the car. I take my seat, the lights dim, and hubby sneaks in beside me. Panic over.

Were the panic and hurry worth it? Yes! Sexy Laundry turned out to be a play that made us forget all the tension of the hour just behind us. It gave us an evening of fun and laughter and at the same time, revealed to us a playwright, who has a very keen eye and ear for human nature, and a good way with words. This Vancouver writer, who has a number of plays to her credit, all of which explore the relationship or connection between individuals, or the lack thereof, is a great discovery for us. In Sexy Laundry she explores marriage, and what happens to this institution as the years go by and the partners either lose connection with each other, or with themselves.

The two-character play is set in the confines of a swanky hotel room. Alice has chosen the place to rekindle lost romance in her 25-year marriage to Henry. Her focus of the weekend is the book, Sex for Dummies. Henry, rather than being turned on by it all, is bewildered. We become witnesses to an exploration not just of a marriage, but of what each of the two partners wants, and most importantly, what each has become over the years.

The language is funny, raucous, at times risqué, but never frivolous, nor gratuitous. When the F word does arise, it has a reason for being there. There are moments of anger, but also very tender ones in this story of discovery, for that is what, in the end, life as well as marriage is all about.

Director Sue Miner, true to her name, mines the script well and never wastes a step in this production. She moves her two actors across Jackie Chau's set with ease and economy. As for the set, Chau has captured well the pseudo Feng Shui nature of the hotel, with its offering of aroma therapy, its invisible doors, and changing lights, excellently presented by lighting designer Kevin Fraser.

Jerry Franken (Henry) and Deborah Grover (Alice) embrace their roles with gusto. They deliver their lines as if speaking from their own lives, and absolutely know where to put the emphasis to give us the laughs. And the laughs do come. We weren't the only ones roaring. The audience, at times, exploded with laughter, which must have made the actors and director feel richly rewarded.