Variety is the spice of life in TA’s Sexy Laundry

February 24, 2016 · 0 Comments

By Brock Weir

Henry doesn’t dance.

Neither does Peter, by his own admission.

Once upon a time, they were known to trip the light fantastic, but that was over 25 years ago.

Over those 25 years, the romance has fizzled from Henry’s marriage, but Peter? Well, knowing his wife is reading this, we’ll never know for sure.
When Peter Kerenyi picked up a copy of Michele Riml’s play, Sexy Laundry, he found himself laughing at the plight of Henry who is faced by his wife, Alice, looking to spice things up after a quarter-century between the sheets.

“I thought it would have been interesting to have two directors, a male and a female, do the show, but that didn’t come to pass,” says Mr. Kerenyi. “I have tried to strive for a balance between both the male and the female, but I do identify more with Henry. This is a road of self-discovery for both Henry and Alice.”

Sexy Laundry follows the couple who, despite being in a stable relationship for the better part of their lives, have found along with this stability comes a degree of boredom. Alice, however, is not content to just sit back and let this happen and takes matters – and maybe a whip or two – into her own hands.

“Henry has no expectations, no desires, and just wants to sit back and be left alone,” says Peter. “25 years can do that to you. The question after so many years is can you recapture some of the passion that was there in the beginning? It is a push-pull, fight or flight process. They’re fighting to stay together, but they are on the verge of breaking up.”

Peter, a Newmarket resident, was born in Hungary. Coming to Canada, he settled in Montreal and Toronto, studying theatre in the latter and even learning improve at the Second City. He became involved in community theatre in the 1980s and, since then, has been actively involved in Theatre Aurora. This is his third directorial effort with the company.

He says he always had an interest in theatre and acting, initially, but the desire to have a house and a car outweighed his desire to be an actor, he laughs.

Yet, the creativity nevertheless came bubbling through.

“It is about having fun, being with people who enjoy doing the things I enjoy doing, and I enjoy what they’re doing,” he says. “It uses the imagination, does away with inhibitions and is a good time.”

In Sexy Laundry, Alice does her best to do away with her inhibitions and use her imagination in the bedroom.

But, did directing their story give him any ideas on how to spice up his own life?

“Nah!” he scoffs with a laugh, after a moment’s consideration.

If you want to find out if it did the trick for Henry and Alice, however, you’ll have to come out to Theatre Aurora and see for yourself.

“I hope people come out and enjoy themselves and it will be interesting to get feedback,” says Peter, which is one of the few Theatre Aurora offerings that are strictly for the 18+. “It is a different kind of show in terms of the language. Some folks in community theatre aren’t always embracing of shows that are a little bit less calm, for lack of a better word.”