The Last Romance

Ralph's life has become mere routine. He's retired and lonely, despite sharing a home with his overprotective (some might say "domineering") sister, Rose. Once he dreamed of a career in opera, even auditioning for a major house, but that didn't pan out. To spice things up this morning, he decides to walk a different route and encounters Carol, a single woman close in age but far more attached to her independence. They begin an uneasy courtship built on Ralph's gentle advances and Carol's staunch reluctance to become attached to anyone this late in life – she and Ralph both know how that works out. And yet together, they find something new and exciting; maybe they'll make it work, if Ralph can wriggle out from under Rose's thumb. Joe DiPietro's The Last Romance is a late-in-life love story about putting the glow in the golden years. Insight Theatre Company opens its new season with the gentle comedy at 8 p.m. Thursday through Sunday and 2 p.m. Sunday (March 2 to 18) at the Kranzberg Art Center (501 North Grand Boulevard; www.insighttheatrecompany.com). Tickets are $20 to $35.