What?? Ion Theatre doing a comedy? And a romantic one at that?

The little Claudio Raygoza-Glenn Paris troupe regularly presents commendable works, but they usually present serious and challenging themes — for just two instances, serial child murders and how a family deals with an AIDS death.

None of that in Ion’s just-opened Jack Goes Boating (coincidentally, the film of which opened this weekend). Bob Glaudini’s warm and amusing script spotlights four 30something New Yorkers wrestling with relationships, their struggles frequently reinforced with pot, coke and potent potables.

Jack and Clyde are limo drivers, and the latter’s wife, Lucy, is a telemarketer of funeral services. Jack has been dateless for a while, so Clyde and Lucy fix him up with her co-worker, Connie. It’s an awkward beginning. Jack, when nervous, frequently clears his throat, and with Connie, he’s nervous most of the time. She’s equally tentative, but they bond in their hesitance. He suggests a date with a feast, which she mistakes for an offer to cook for her — mightily impressive because it would be a first for her.

Stephen Lone and Sara Beth Morgan

Ion Theatre photo

So Jack determines to become a gourmet cook. Also, in the middle of a cold, snowy winter, he plans to take Connie boating when the weather warms. But he can’t swim. Clyde, being a good buddy, will help Jack with both goals, giving him swimming lessons and introducing him to a prominent dessert chef.

Mention of the chef, however, opens some wounds. It seems Lucy had a fling with him (whom Clyde calls, variously, “The Cannoli” or “The Big Cannoli”), and, although Clyde says he’s past it, the memories frequently erupt. Thus each couple seems on a different path — one building, the other deteriorating.

The ever-present drugs, of course, intensify all experiences. In one scene, Jack — who says pot “lubricates imagination before creation” — sits and smokes from a bong, listening to the reggae tunes that he believes emit “positive vibes,” while reciting recipes and Clyde’s swimming directions. Then there’s the raucous dinner-party climax, when the four, enmeshed in drug paranoia, panic over knocking at the door.

Boating may be lighter than Ion’s usual fare, but the company’s ensemble, directed by Raygoza with assistance from Beth Gallagher, is as sturdy as ever. Brian Mackey gives Jack a sweet sincerity, Steven Lone captures Clyde’s loyalty and torment, Sara Beth Morgan’s Lucy is sexy and tough, and Rhianna Basore imparts Connie’s gentle vulnerability.

Once again, Raygoza — who also created the New York apartment setting — makes the most of the small stage area, placing scenes in the aisle and on a side bed usually hidden by a curtain but lighted as needed. The excellent lighting scheme by Raygoza — when does the man sleep? — uses slide and video projections to effectively depict the change in locations, from wintry street corners to a large indoor swim pool.

Trista Roland’s costumes emphasize the chill of winter, and Melanie Chen’s sound design features Jack’s recurring reggae favorite plus pop songs that smooth the segues between the play’s frequent short scenes.

Glenn Paris, who assembled the props, may have skirted legal jeopardy, considering that bong and a wildly colorful hookah. And speaking of props, give some to the techie who provided the nicely timed smell of burnt food.

It's at the BLKBOX theater, Sixth and Pennsylvania.

Cast and credits