CURRENTLY PLAYING FEBRUARY 26, 2009

Backseats & Bathroom Stalls. Rob Mersola’s late-night farce throws Generation Y Manhattanites – four men, two women – into overlapping hetero and homo matches and mismatches within the sexual trenches, also allowing a few of the characters to despair over the shallowness of it all. It’s brief and fast-paced enough not to wear out its welcome. Lyric Hyperion Theatre, 2106 Hyperion Ave., Silver Lake. (323) 960-7829. plays411.com/backseats. Fri.-Sat., 10 p.m. $25-$30. Closes March 28.

Battle Hymn. Jim Leonard’s play follows teenaged, impregnated Martha (Suzy Jane Hunt) from the eve of the Civil War into the 21^st century. She refuses to give birth until America is on the road to recovery – and therefore the play is an ideal way to celebrate the Obama era. Leonard maintains a lighthearted tone throughout most of Martha’s odyssey, with deliberate anachronisms, genuinely wacky images and moments that require actors and audience not to take it all so seriously. Hunt’s a wonder in her high-flying role, but so are the four men (Bill Heck, William Salyers, Robert Manning Jr., John Short), who play all the other parts, crossing not only the gender line and occasionally the racial line but also the species line. John Langs’ direction and a couple of musical numbers by Michael A. Levine help energize the proceedings. Circle X Theatre at [Inside] the Ford, Cahuenga Pass, Hollywood. (323) 461-3673. Fordtheatres.org. Closes March 7.

The Bird and Mr. Banks. A seemingly drone-like comptroller (Sam Anderson) rescues a co-worker (Jenny Kern) from their lecherous boss (Chet Grissom). The comedy and unexpected horror-genre elements in Keith Huff’s play are dulled by a surfeit of avian imagery and other cloying stabs at excess sentiment. Mark St. Amant directs. Road Theatre, North Hollywood. (866) 811-4111. roadtheatre.org. Closes Sat., May 2.

Candida. Shaw’s comedy, about a strong woman (Willow Geer) who’s asked to choose between her popular preacher husband  (Mark Deakins) and the gangly and lovesick young poet Marchbanks (Johnathan McClain), is in the skilled hands of director Kathleen F. Conlin and a sterling cast. At last the lustrous Geer, who developed her talents at her family’s Theatricum Botanicum, is entering the wider world of L.A. theater. Colony Theatre, 555 N. 3^rd St., Burbank. (818) 558-7000 x15. colonytheatre.org. Phone or see website for times. $32-$42. Closes Sun., March 8. 

Daddy's Dyin', Who's Got the Will? Del Shores' first hit comedy - originally set among white small-town Texans - receives a mostly African American-cast revival, staged by its original producer, Theatre/Theater’s Jeff Murray. The racial transformation is working well, not only in the makeup of the audience but in the ease with which most of the lines are adaptable to African American voices within the same small town. There are two different casts. I saw this show earlier at Theatre/Theater’s Pico Boulevard venue; it had some memorable performances but could have used a tightened pace. Theatre/Theater-Hollywood.  (323) 954-9795. theatretheater.net. Closes Sun., March 15.

The Dining Room. A.R. Gurney’s 1982 series of vignettes, centered around a proper WASP dining room, is a masterfully bittersweet blend of satire and nostalgia. Kay Cole directs a first-rate cast. Interact Theatre at Victory Theatre, Burbank. (818) 765-8732. interactla.org. Closes Sun., March 1.  

Divorce! The Musical. Erin Kamler’s lively and witty musical focuses most of its arrows on attorneys and other professionals who capitalize on troubled couples. Her splitting-up protagonists, a Brentwood radiologist (Rick Segall) and a would-be actress (Lowe Taylor) are shallow and materialistic. Still, a little more background on their initial attraction might help us care about their fate as they’re buffeted by their attorneys (Gabrielle Wagner, Leslie Stevens) and their mediator (Gregory Franklin). It’s almost an evening of musical sketches instead of a full-fledged narrative, but director Rick Sparks gets maximum mileage from it. Hudson Mainstage Theatre, 6539 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood. (323) 960-1056. DivorceMusical.com. Thurs.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun. 2 p.m. $25-$34.99 Closes Sun., March 29.

Fata Morgana. Director Marilyn Fox dusted off Ernest Vajda's 1915 comedy about an 18-year-old Hungarian (Michael Hanson) who's coming of age at a remote country estate. He's momentarily swept away - and apparently deflowered during the first intermission - by a glamorous Budapest relative (Ursula Brooks), who's 10 years older and shamelessly pampered by her hard-charging husband (Scott Conte). A few too many minor characters burden the narrative, but the heart of the play is persuasively bittersweet. Pacific Resident Theatre, Venice. (310) 822-8392. PacificResidentTheatre.com. Closes Sat., Feb. 28.

 Film. In 1964, Samuel Beckett (Phil Ward) arrives in New York to monitor the shooting of his experimental short screenplay Film by novice filmmaker Alan Schneider (Bill Robens), a stage director who helped introduce Beckett’s plays to America. At the taciturn Beckett’s suggestion, the great silent film comic Buster Keaton (Carl J. Johnson), now hard-boiled and almost 70, is the star. Playwright Patrick McGowan treats this stellar alignment with winningly whimsical surreality in Trevor Biship’s staging. The focus is split among Keaton’s memories of his own years as an experimental artist (Mandi Moss as the young Keaton), Beckett’s bumbling flirtation with a prop girl (Deana Barone), and Schneider’s exasperation over his inability to master film, in comparison to his rival Mike Nichols (Trevor H. Olsen). Schneider and Nichols become vaudeville partners in Schneider’s dream, and Nichols gets all the laughs. Theatre of NOTE, 1517 N. Cahuenga, Hollywood. (323) 856-8611. theatreofnote.com. Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun. 7 p.m.; tonight, Feb. 26, 8 p.m. $18-$22. Closes Sat., March 21.   

Grand Motel. In Michael Sargent’s droll new comedy, the Tennessee Williams-like playwright Cornelius Coffin (Dennis Christopher) retreats to a clothing-optional gay motel in Palm Springs during the premiere of his latest Broadway fiasco. As in the Grand Hotel template, other guests and less welcome intruders pass through, under the fretful eye of the proprietor couple (Craig Johnson, Erik Hanson). Coffin and everyone else are drawn to the naked model (Andy Hopper, almost a Brad Pitt ringer) who’s apparently drifting into oblivion, but Coffin’s female friend (Shannon Holt) has other plans for the playwright before he enters his own coffin.  Sargent’s playful but rueful script and his excellent cast are treated to a deluxe simulation of the tacky milieu by designer Chris Covics. Unknown Theater, 1110 Seward St., Hollywood. (323) 466-7781. unknowntheater.com. Thurs.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 6 p.m. $18-$24. Closes Sat., March 28. 

Hamlet, or the Artist Formerly Known as Prince of Denmark. Can a company of non-Troubies master the distinctive Troubadour Theater blend of classic texts, clown comedy and music inspired by well-known pop stars? A CalRep troupe supervised by Troubie veteran Mike Sulprizio revives the Troubies’ 2005 text with mixed results. It’s possible to imagine some of the individual actors as Troubies, but the ensemble doesn’t yet click in a way that achieves Troubie magic. The venue is an energy-dissipating black box with the audience on three sides. The last part of the play is radically condensed (for example, no Yorick scene), no one is on stilts, the laugh meter is missing, the topical jokes feel dated, and Troubie mastermind Matt Walker isn’t in the room as either the star or as the main director (he’s on the road with Happy Days – groan). Armory, 854 E. 7^th St., Long Beach. (562) 985-5526. calrep.org. Phone or check web site for schedule. $17-$20. Closes Sat., March 14. 

Hangin' Out. Robert Schrock, whose Naked Boys Singing is a hit, apparently thought that heterosexuals might prefer a whimsical, all-nude musical revue if both men and women were on stage. Hence this new show, with three of each gender in the cast, as well as some blatant gender stereotypes cropping up in the lyrics. The 19 songs by a bevy of writers, choreographed by Ken Roht, seem almost squeaky-clean at times, with hardly a trace of sexual interaction between the bodies, especially in the first act. Don't expect a big sexual charge. Macha Theatre, West Hollywood.  (323) 960-4443. plays411.com/hangin'out. Closes Sun., March 15.

Hunter Gatherers. Two mismatched, mid-30s couples (he-man Doug Newell, meek Sara Hennessy, mild-mannered Steven Schub and lascivious Vonessa Martin) mark their wedding anniversaries by unleashing primeval urges in Peter Sinn Nachtrieb’s blisteringly funny comedy. With Dámaso Rodriguez at the helm, and Furious Theatre’s first Actors’ Equity contract, this landmark for the company is a wild night for the audience. Pasadena Playhouse Carrie Hamilton Theatre.  (800) 595-4849. furioustheatre.org. Closes Sat., Feb. 28.

The Increased Difficulty of Concentration. This seldom seen absurdist comedy by Vaclav Havel, the great Czech playwright/ex-president, is oh-so-1968. A social scientist (Scott Rognlien) balances a nagging wife, sexy mistress and tempting secretary with the intrusions of another scientist (Amy Stiller), who’s trying to use a temperamental computer to analyze personalities. Stale sexual politics aside, the second act includes some funny, dizzying images of modern theories gone mad. Stephen Simek translated and Alex Lippard directed for The Next Arena. Lounge Theatre, 6201 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood. (323) 960-7788. plays411.com/increaseddifficulty. Thurs.-Sat., 8 p.m. Closes Sat., March 28.

Inside Private Lives. In successive solos, actors play six minor 20th century celebrities caught in crises that require direct appeals to gatherings of people supposedly in a position to help. The theater audience plays the celebrities' listeners - and we're encouraged to ask questions, offer criticism, even heckle so that an improvised exchange flows from the characters' initial remarks. The characters and actors rotate, but they normally begin with Kristin Stone, the show's creator and producer, as Christine Jorgensen. At the reviewed performance, they also included Edward VIII (Freddy Douglas), Aimee Semple McPherson (Molly Hagan), John Dillinger (Jade Carter), medium Jane Roberts (Maddisen Krown) and Billy Carter ((Bryan Safi). The show shrewdly makes connections with the present but avoids easy, overly familiar caricatures of contemporary figures. Fremont Center Theatre, South Pasadena. Sunday evenings only. (866) 811-4111. InsidePrivateLives.com. Closes March 1.

It's Just Sex. Jeff Gould's comedy is back for its second L.A. production in less than two years. It isn't just the title or the premise - three thirtysomething couples in L.A. are goaded by a vengeful wife into swapping spouses while the kids are away, with very mixed results. Gould's writing is savvy if schematic, probing with some sensitivity into three different kinds of couples. The action is considerably more convincing than the would-be swapping in the recently revived I Love My Wife. The opening scene isn't as graphic as in the 2007 production, but with no intermission, director Mark Blanchard's production feels somewhat brisker. His cast is attractive and well-timed. Two Roads Theatre, Studio City.   (818) 762-2282. nohoartsdistrict.com. Closes March 7.

Ixnay. In Paul Kikuchi’s comedy for East West Players, an accident victim (Aaron Takahashi) enters an afterlife run by a fellow Japanese American (Gedde Watanabe) but balks at being reincarnated within the same culture, holding up the line for his fellow Asian or wannabe Asians who await their own next assignments. Despite individually strong performances, the conceit feels wobbly, especially as the author tries to balance arguments in favor of mixed marriages and pride in cultural heritage. Most of the characters sink into stereotype in Jeff Liu’s staging. Hwang Theater, 120 Judge John Aiso St., Little Tokyo. (213) 625-7000. eastwestplayers.org. Wed.-Sat, 8 p.m.; Sun., 2 p.m.  $20-$35. Closes Sun., March 15.  

The Jazz Age. In yet another speculative dramatization of the lives of Scott (Luke Macfarlane) and Zelda (Heather Prete) Fitzgerald, plus Ernest Hemingway (Jeremy Gabriel), Allan Knee concentrates on suggestions of homoeroticism between the two men and an attempt by Zelda to seduce Hemingway. Michael Matthews’ staging features fine performances and Ian Whitcomb’s original music performed live by the composer and two other musicians. But it can’t shake that been-there, prospective-miniseries feeling. Blank Theatre, 6500 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood. (323) 661-9827. TheBlank.com. Thurs.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 2 p.m. Closes Sun., March 22.

Light Up the Sky. Moss Hart’s behind-the-scenes glance at a ‘40s Broadway-bound tryout launches several comic sparklers in Bjørn Johnson’s staging. Colin Campbell’s pretentious director is the swishiest ever, and Benjamin Burdick and Andrea Syglowski go for the brassy ring as a producer and his wife. Open Fist Theatre, Hollywood. (323) 882-6912. openfist.org. Closes March 7.

Lions. The lower-middle-class regulars at a Detroit bar meet to monitor the success of their mostly beloved gridiron team (hence the title), but they gradually disintegrate in their private lives, thanks to a dead-end economy and a variety of personal shortcomings. The focal point is the unemployed John “Spook” Waite (Matt McKenzie), who’s bedeviled by Loman-like thoughts of the roads not taken. In one explosive scene, his wife (Valerie Dillman) invades his lair and confronts him. Most of the characterizations are well-observed, under the direction of Guillermo Cienfuegos. But like many barroom plays, Vince Melocchi’s needs a vigorous trim, which could make way for clarification about how Waite finally obtains a job and how it plays out.  Pacific Resident Theatre, Venice.  (310) 822-8392 . PacificResidentTheatre.com. Closes March 29. 

Lovelace: A Rock Opera. Linda (Katrina Lenk) of Deep Throat fame is a quivering victim, primarily of her vile husband (Jimmy Swan) but also of her enabling mother (Whitney Allen). Then she abruptly rebels and becomes a feminist martyr, acquiring an unseen husband, as well as a child who remembers her fondly enough to narrate intermittently. There's no unspoken dialogue, but the program lists 40 songs by Anna Waronker of That Dog and Charlotte Caffey of the Go-Go's's. Though some of the music is worthy and sung well, the effort to cram so much of it into 90 minutes reduces the story into something that's shallow and schematic, as in a similarly structured rock opera about Evel Knievel in 2007. Hayworth Theatre, near MacArthur Park. (323) 960-4442. plays411.com. Closes Feb. 28.

Made Me Nuclear. Former Silent Movie Theatre proprietor Charlie Lustman sings about his bout with a very rare jaw cancer. Presented by the Sarcoma Alliance, the self-dubbed solo “operetta” fits the presenter's probable goal of providing a very light, cheerful take on Lustman's ordeal. This same quality drains much of the drama from the story. Lustman's an appealing singer of his soft folk/rock genre. He accompanies himself on guitar but is also backed by an elaborate electronic soundscape. His lyrics lack the complexity that might enhance this almost tension-free production. Santa Monica Playhouse, Santa Monica.  (866) 468-3399. MadeMeNuclear.com. Closes March 31.

Mammals. A London housewife is going bonkers tending her two young daughters (played by adults) while her husband travels for his job. When he returns home, he announces he’s in love with a colleague – the perfect moment for a couple of childless friends to stop by. John Pleshette’s U.S. premiere of Amanda Bullmore’s play is a funny, dead-eyed glance at the bending and breaking of two couples. Half of the roles are double cast, but the group I saw was exactly right, including the women playing rambunctious kids. Lost Studio, La Brea district. (800) 595-4849. tix.com. Closes March 8.

Man of La Mancha. The late Dale Wasserman allowed director Michael Michetti to interpolate material from his original teleplay version of the Cervantes/Don Quixote story into this revival of the more famous musical version (written with Mitch Leigh and Joe Darion). So Michetti’s staging for Reprise has a few unfamiliar lines, plus an excellent cast including Brent Spiner, Julia Migenes (Valerie Perri at matinees), Lee Wilkof and George Ball. Freud Playhouse, UCLA, Westwood. (310) 825-2101. reprise.org. Tues.-Fri, 8 p.m.; Sat., 2 and 8 p.m.; Sun. 2 and 7 p.m. Closes Sun., March 1 

The Manor. From a 2007 review: The audience follows the action to several spaces within the palatial Greystone Mansion, watching a story based on a real murder that took place on the site in 1929, when it was owned by a family involved in the Teapot Dome scandal. The cast hits all the high notes in Kathrine Bates' sobering soap opera, produced by Theatre 40. Greystone Manor, Beverly Hills. Phone or see web site for schedule.  (310) 694-6118. Theatre40.org. Closes Fri., June 19.

Minsky’s. This amusingly retro Bob Martin/Charles Strouse/Susan Birkenhead musical examines the Lower East Side burlesque house in the summer of 1930, when hard times meant that even the show’s micro-costumes might have to be trimmed. The romance between Minsky (Christopher Fitzgerald) and the virginal daughter (Katharine Leonard) of a repressive councilman (George Wendt) is wan, but the gags and splashy musical numbers usually come to life under Casey Nicholaw’s direction. The second bananas include baggy-pants clown Gerry Vichi, monosyllabic stage manager Paul Vogt and two fish out of water played by John Cariani and SNL alum Rachel Dratch; their anti-showbiz number is a droll riposte to the more conventional hooray-for-showbiz anthem sung by belter Beth Leavel. CTG at Ahmanson Theatre, Music Center, 135 N. Grand, L.A. (213) 628-2772. CenterTheatreGroup. org. Phone or see website for times. $20-$100. Closes Sun., March 1. 

Noises Off. Art Manke’s staging of Michael Frayn’s madcap farce reaches its height in the deliriously absurd depths of the third act, when the play-within-the-play is tearing apart at the seams. The second act, with its view from backstage, isn’t quite as hilarious as in some versions, but then it’s appropriate that a long three-act comedy will reach its height of hilarity closer to the end.  The cast includes the impressively knockabout Bill Brochtrup, Kandis Chappell, Nancy Bell and Timothy Landfield, among others. South Coast Repertory, 655 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. (714) 708-5555. scr.org. Tues.-Wed., 7:30 p.m.; Thurs.-Fri., 8 p.m.; Sat., 2:30 and 8 p.m.; Sun.., 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. Closes Sun., March 8.

Pippin. Roger O. Hirson’s meta-theatrical parable, about a prince whose ambitions outpace his abilities, receives an exuberant makeover from Center Theatre Group and Deaf West Theatre, which imports its usual synthesis of signing and singing. ASL’s use of hands blends well with the efforts of Leading Player (Ty Taylor) and cohorts to beckon Pippin (Michael Arden singing, Tyrone Giordano signing) into going for the gold. Tobin Ost’s scenery is, literally, magical. Composer Stephen Schwartz adds the new “Back Home Again” but deletes the extraordinary “Extraordinary.” With Jeff Calhoun directing and no intermission, the show sags briefly but recoups for its compelling finale. Mark Taper Forum, downtown L.A.  (213) 628-2772. ctg.org. Closes March 15.

Point Break Live! It's back - the New Rock Theater takeoff on the 1991 Hollywood thriller. I haven't seen it in this venue, but when I saw it downtown, it added a tsunami of comedy to the original story, about an FBI agent (who's cast nightly from the audience and gets to read cue cards) investigating a gang of bank-robbing L.A. surfers. Wicked caricatures and bare-bones action sequences abound. Dragonfly, 6510 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood.  (866) 811-4111. Myspace.com/pointbreaklive or theatermania.com. Fri., 8:30 p.m. Sat., 8 p.m. Closes Sat., April 25.

Pope Joan. The legend of the medieval English woman who briefly became a cross-dressing pope, while sleeping with the French king, lacks Pippin-like resonances in Christopher Moore’s wooden musical, directed by Bo Crowell. Whitney Avalon, in the title role, is a gamine who might pass as Peter Pan but not as a pope. A large cast performs the uninspired score. Michael Butler of Hair fame is the producer. Stella Adler Theatre, Hollywood. (323) 960-4412. popejoantix.com. Closes March 22.

A Skull in Connemara. In Martin McDonagh’s early play, Mick (Morlan Higgins) clears old bones – including those of his departed wife – out of a rural Irish cemetery to make room for the new. Stuart Rogers’ staging is well acted but feels muted and looks literally too dark in act one. Theatre Tribe, North Hollywood.  (800) 838-3006. theatretribe.com. Closes Feb. 28.

Stormy Weather. Most of the plodding first act of this new musical about the life of Lena Horne is a fairly generic star-is-born scenario, told from the perspective of a flashback from the early ‘80s. The flashback framework doesn’t appear right away, giving the act a choppy quality – and then it gives away plot points in advance. But the show becomes more compelling after intermission, when Horne faces more complicated problems in Sharleen Cooper Cohen’s script – including balancing the increasing black militancy of her son (Jordan Barbour) with the sensibilities of her white Jewish husband (Robert Torti). The music also gets better, as the younger Horne (Nikki Crawford) auditions for the Show Boat movie and the older Horne (Leslie Uggams) lets down her guard in a sensational “Honeysuckle Rose” and the title number. Pasadena Playhouse, 39 S. El Molino Ave., Pasadena. (626) 356-7529. Pasadenaplayhouse.org. Tues.-Fri., 8 p.m. Sat., 4 and 8 p.m.; Sun, 2 and 7 p.m. $25-$78. Closes Sun., March 8.

Surviving Sex. Thirty years ago, Garry Marshall produced TV sitcoms. Now he produces similar material at his own theater. With his sitcom-friendly skills, Jeff Marlow could have been rich back then, but sitcoms aren’t so big now. He plays an accountant with a hapless love life in David Landsberg’s wafer-thin one-act. Falcon Theatre, 4252 Riverside Dr., Burbank. (818) 955-8101. falcontheatre.com. Wed.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 4 p.m. $32.50-$40. Closes Sun., March 1. 

Taking Steps. Alan Ayckbourn’s farce mixes up two conventional middle-class Brits (Andy Hoff, Marty Ryan) and their more free-spirited mates (Melanie Lora, Kate Rylie), with a couple of amusing participants in a real estate deal (Jonathan Runyon, Bernard White). Directors Ron Sossi and Allan Miller get most of the laughs. Odyssey Theatre, 2055 S. Sepulveda, West L.A. (310) 477-2055. odysseytheatre.com. Phone or see website for times. $20-$30. Closes Sun., March 22.

Time Stands Still. A news photographer (Anna Gunn) and freelance reporter (David Harbour), together for years, return to New York for recuperation and consider whether to settle into domesticity. They’re influenced in part by the examples of their photo editor friend (Robin Thomas) and his new, younger girlfriend (Alicia Silverstone), whose questions bring the issue of journalists as uninvolved spectators into sharp relief. Donald Margulies’ play is involving, but some of the second-act plot manipulations feel transparent and weakly motivated. Daniel Sullivan directs. Geffen Playhouse, 10886 Le Conte Ave., Westwood. (310) 208-5454. GeffenPlayhouse.com. Tues. –Thur., 7:30 p.m.; Fri., 8 p.m.; Sat. 4 and 8:30 p.m.; Sun. 2 and 7 p.m. $15-$79. Closes Sun., March 15. 

The Trial of the Catonsville Nine. Daniel Berrigan’s 1971 docudrama, about his and eight fellow Catholic activists’ trial for burning draft records during the Vietnam War, is famous in L.A. for Gordon Davidson’s premiere at the Taper, which was rumored to have been monitored by the FBI. Yet Jon Kellam’s revival is rather staid, especially in contrast to that other recently revived Vietnam protest docudrama The Chicago Conspiracy Trial. Andrew E. Wheeler achieves the requisite passion as the author. In a bit of cross-gender casting, Adele Robbins plays the judge, who was entirely too polite and reasonable to generate much dramatic fire. Actors’ Gang, 9070 Venice Blvd., Culver City. (310) 838-4264. theactorsgang.com. Thurs.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 2 p.m. Closes Sat., March 21.

Twilight of the Golds. The Gold family fractures over a decision by Suzanne (Gretchen Koerner) to abort her pregnancy when advanced genetic testing indicates her boy will be gay. Her gay brother (Eli Kranski) interprets this as the ultimate insult. In T L  Kolman’s revival for the Production Company, Jonathan Tolins’ 1993 play is a riveting portrait of well-meaning people agonizing over old prejudices and new technologies, with a layer of half-serious, half-whimsical comparisons of the Golds’ plight to that of the gods in Wagner’s Ring cycle.  Chandler Studio, 12443 Chandler Blvd., Valley Village. (800) 838-3006. theprodco.com. Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 3 p.m. $22. Closes Sat., March 14.

Violet Sharp. William Cameron’s script depicts the agonies that beset a maid (Meredith Bishop) for Charles Lindbergh’s in-laws, in the aftermath of the notorious Lindbergh baby kidnapping quality. An aggressive detective (David Hunt Stafford) considers her a prime suspect. The scenes feel like simulated re-enactments, with a docudramatic quality. As in many such stories, it isn’t easy to know how much is verified docu and how much is fabricated drama. Still, it’s an engaging demonstration of how seemingly innocent and anonymous bystanders can be drawn into the swath of a widely publicized news story. Theatre 40, 241 Moreno Dr., Beverly Hills High School campus. (310) 364-0535. theatre40.org. Check web site for schedule. $10-$22. Closes Thurs., March 12. 

A Year With Frog and Toad. It’s hard to believe that this Robert and Willie Reale musical, based on the Arnold Lobel books, made it to Broadway, since the target audience is between the ages of 4 and 7. These very young kids will probably eat it up, but the enjoyment by parents and grandparents will be strictly vicarious. South Coast Repertory, 655 Town Center Dr., Costa Mesa. (714) 708-5555. scr.org. Fri., 7 p.m.; Sat., 11 a.m., 2 and 4:30 p.m.; Sun., 2 and 4:30 p.m. $20-$28. Closes Sun., March 1.