Matthews Playhouse Takes Live Theatre to Unexpected Places with 'Sex Please, We’re Sixty!'

Staged reading offers a hilarious Date Night Theatre experience

MATTHEWS, N.C. — Matthews Playhouse of the Performing Arts continues to take live theatre to unexpected places with the hilarious comedy Sex Please, We’re Sixty, performing Oct. 10 and 17 at Matthews Ballroom, 189 N. Trade St., 2nd Floor, Matthews. Drinks and hors d’oeuvres will be served at 6 p.m., followed by the staged reading at 7 p.m.

Written by Michael and Susan Parker, Sex Please, We’re Sixty offers a playful and unconventional Date Night Theatre experience filled with romance, mixups and plenty of laughs.

The comedy takes place at Mrs. Stancliffe’s Rose Cottage Bed & Breakfast, a successful inn whose mostly female guests return year after year. Mrs. Stancliffe’s silver-tongued elderly neighbor, Bud “the Stud” Davis, believes the women come back to spend time with him—and he may not be entirely wrong. Meanwhile, her other neighbor and would-be suitor, retired chemist Henry Mitchell, has developed an experimental pill called “Venusia,” designed to increase the libido of menopausal women.

When three very different women arrive at the inn—a romance novelist whose own love life is lacking in romance, a friend of Henry’s who agrees to test Venusia, and a Southern Belle whose libido certainly needs no help—things quickly spiral out of control.

After Bud gets his hands on some of the Venusia pills, the women accidentally mix them up with Bud’s Viagra. The unexpected results turn the tables, giving the men a taste of hot flashes, mood swings, weeping and irritability. As the resulting mayhem unfolds, the characters discover that life—and love—can take some surprising turns.

An Intimate Theatre Experience

Directed by Pamela Thorson, Sex Please, We’re Sixty is presented as a staged reading, also known as Reader’s Theatre. Free from elaborate sets and costumes, this intimate format puts the spotlight on the story and the artistry of the performers, inviting audiences to connect more directly with the characters, comedy and heart of the play.

The cast features Dennis Delamar as Bud Davis, Elyse Williams as Mrs. Stancliffe, Mike Carroll as Henry Mitchell, Vanessa Davis as Victoria Ambrose, Suzanne Nystrom as Hillary Hudson, Paula Baldwin as Charmaine Beauregard and Shar Marlin as the narrator.

Tickets are $50, which includes drinks and hors d’oeuvres. Call Matthews Playhouse at 704-846-8343 or visit https://www.matthewsplayhouse.com/mph-community-series.

Whether you're celebrating a special occasion, enjoying a night out with someone special or simply looking for an evening of laughter, Sex Please, We’re Sixty offers an entertaining—and decidedly unconventional—theatre experience this October.

About Matthews Playhouse

Matthews Playhouse of the Performing Arts is a nonprofit community theater dedicated to enriching lives through the performing arts. Now celebrating its 31st season, the Playhouse provides high-quality productions, theatre education, and outreach in the Charlotte-Matthews area.