The Aurora Theatre posts that all tickets for this play are sold out. But if you like romantic comedies and want to see a flawless production, you may have some luck snagging a no-show ticket last minute. It’d be worth the trip.

“Jack Goes Boating” itself is a simple tale of budding (and belabored) romance. Jack (Danny Wolohan) and Connie (Beth Wilmurt) are just embarking on a love voyage while their friends and match-makers Clyde (Gabriel Marin) and Lucy (Amanda Duarte) suffer with a relationship on the rocks. Playwright Bob Glaudini sets the story in New York, and most of the scenes take place in Clyde and Lucy’s marijuana-filled apartment. They toke, they ponder love and the Rastafarian way. It feels a lot like the pad on NBC’s “Friends” sit-com, but with a hookah on the coffeetable.

photo courtesy of the aurora theatre

photo courtesy of the aurora theatre

Glaudini’s play has earned rave reviews all over the region for its refreshing combination of sweetness and snark. Glaudini hits the right tone with his humorous notes and while the dialogue feels a little canned at times, the cast and direction make it sing. Joy Carlin directs a lively and seamless play, using a two-tiered stage to maximum effect. Danny Wolohan, a Bay Area native, plays an endearing Jack, whose nervous tick and starter dreads give him a funny presence even without his lines. His Forest Gump-ish quality make him a good match for the equally verbose Connie, expertly played by Beth Wilmurt. As his friends—the limo-driving and impromptu swim teacher Clyde and funeral home mistress Lucy—guide him into favorable waters with Connie, he bumbles his way to earning her affections.

A point of departure for me was the play’s Rasta theme. One major prop is Jack’s portable stereo that plays reggae tunes. He bumps the beats for friends and smokes his ganja religiously, but taken together the Rasta motif never makes more than a comedic statement. What Rastafarianism meant to the decidedly white love story remains a mystery to me. Jack reminded me of guys I met at UC Santa Cruz—broad shouldered white dudes who toked on the daily and lined their dorm rooms with Marley posters. I’ll be curious to see how Philip Seymour Hoffman tweaks this when he directs “Jack Goes Boating” for the the silver screen in 2010. He starred in the original Broadway production two years ago and his film reprises all but one of the original actors. But perhaps I’m over-thinking this. This is just a light-hearted comedy without the twists and turns in more heady plays, like the Aurora’s “Betrayed” play earlier this season. This play’s about a man who shares his love of reggae and learns to navigate the waters with his lady love.

“I do it all for you,” Jack says to her. Certainly a sentiment worth seeing. And as always, the Aurora makes a big splash in a modest space. It has the feel of living room theater, and sees a lot better shows than your flat screen TV.

Stroll down to the Aurora Theatre this weekend to see if you can squeeze your way in: 2081 Addison St., Berkeley. Tickets $40-$42. Call (510) 843-4822, www.auroratheatre.org.