CURRENTLY PLAYING September 18, 2008

Abigail’s Party. In Mike Leigh’s 1977 anatomy of a suburban social meltdown, we’re actually at a party hosted by Beverly (Nikki Glick), not the 15-year-old Abigail who’s hosting her own teen-oriented bash next door. Abigail’s divorced and distressed mother (Cerris Morgan-Moyer) is one of Beverly’s guests, as are the younger new neighbors (Phoebe James, Jonathan LaPaglia). The two married women are loud and chatty, but the men – especially Beverly’s workaholic husband (Darren Richardson, who looks too young) – are not natural party animals. Julian Holloway’s acidic staging initially seems swamped by suburban trivia but eventually explodes, wading into issues of life and death. Odyssey Theatre, West L.A. (310) 477-2055. odysseytheatre.com. Closes Oct. 19.

Agamemnon. Aeschylus’s declamatory tragedy, in a translation by Robert Fagles, should encompass more of the alfresco theater’s majestic amphitheater than it does in Stephen Wadsworth’s staging. Tyne Daly and Delroy Lindo play Clytemnestra and Agamemnon; the former is especially commanding. Getty Villa, Pacific Palisades. (310) 440-7300. getty.edu. Closes Sept. 27.

Assassins. Once again, the misfits who killed or tried to kill American presidents unite in the macabre chorus line of the Stephen Sondheim/John Weidman musical, produced by West Coast Ensemble. The script brilliantly demonstrates how the optimistic can-do platitudes of the American dream can become twisted into ghastly criminal acts. Director Richard Israel’s rendition includes an intermission, although no obvious break exists, and the pretty but predictable (and sometimes excised) “Something Just Broke.” It’s also the first Assassins that I recall with a female Balladeer (Dana Reynolds, whose voice isn’t big enough at the role’s climactic moment). Still, this production’s best moments achieve their inherent power. Shannon Stoeke is especially strong as a grinning Proprietor and as Lee Harvey Oswald. El Centro Theatre, Hollywood. (323) 460-4443. tix.com. Closes Sept. 28.

As U2 Like It. Troubadour Theater’s take on Shakespeare’s “As You Like It,” with musical numbers inspired by U2, is a comic wildfire, done as just about anyone would like it. The laughs are huge, as is the wrestler Charles (Dan Waskom, on stilts). Some of the more potentially ribald elements of the original are brought to the forefront, as in a few raised eyebrows about the love between Rosalind (Breanna Pine) and Celia (Katie Nunez) – who pretends to be Selena, the Tejana pop star, while in the woods. Rick Batalla has sensational shtick in two roles, Matt Merchant is an especially dashing Orlando, and director Matt Walker also takes on Touchstone as a red-nosed clown. But no one can touch Beth Kennedy’s white-faced, Pierrot-like Jaques; her “Seven Ages of Man” speech works both as a broad caricature and an homage to the original. At one point the ensemble demonstrates how some of the U2 melodies sound, er, somewhat alike, and of course Shakespeare takes a few lumps as well – the previously unseen visitor in the finale is no longer a mortal with earthly tidings, or even Bono, but rather Jesus himself. Falcon Theatre, Burbank. (818) 955-8101. FalconTheatre.com or Troubie.com. Closes Oct. 12.

As You Like It. Ellen Geer’s alfresco staging is set in 19th century America – indicated primarily by songs and costumes. Touchstone looks and talks like a Shakespeare-quoting dandy from Mark Twain. Women play the traditionally male roles of Jaques and Adam, but Geer rejects any topical political gestures. The blithe mingling of blacks and whites in this Reconstruction-era forest is ignored as effortlessly as the plot’s many improbabilities. Instead, the era is used simply to point out the expansive universality of Shakespeare’s themes and language. As I sat in a dappled glen on a perfect Sunday afternoon, watching Willow Geer’s Rosalind and Mike Peebler’s Orlando, I was again reminded of just why this play is staged so often. Theatricum Botanicum, Topanga. Sunday afternoons only. (310) 455-3723. Theatricum.com. Closes Sept. 28. (DS)

Beethoven, As I Knew Him. Actor/pianist Hershey Felder’s solo show views Beethoven through the eyes of Gerhard von Breuning, whose father was a friend of the composer’s. As a teenager, Von Breuning studied piano with Beethoven in the deaf master’s final years, and the now aging student recalls those years from the vantage of 1870. It’s an elaborate framework, and it almost inevitably lacks an air of authority about most of Beethoven’s life. In contrast to the music of Felder’s previous subjects Gershwin and Chopin, many of Beethoven’s works (the symphonies, for example) are not easily suggested by a solo pianist who occasionally sings, and lavish projections distract more than they help. However, Felder’s informal Q and A with the audience after the show is scintillating. Felder suggests that not only the Q and A but perhaps the show itself is still a work in progress. Geffen Playhouse, Westwood. (310) 208-5454. geffenplayhouse.com. Closes Oct. 5.

Bouncers. John Godber’s evocation of a night at an ‘80s working-class British disco, with five men playing all the roles, was a big hit for L.A. Theatre Works in the ‘80s. Cinda Jackson’s new production, 20 years later, is fun and stylish but difficult to imagine as a big hit. Without the same sense of contemporaneity, the sketchy text feels dated, and thick accents occasionally make it difficult to decipher. The cast (Chris Coppola, Ben Baker, Mark Adair-Rios, Dan Cowan, Phillip Campos) has the necessary driving energy, but the absence of women playing the women’s roles feels like a stunt that ends up caricaturing the women characters more than the men. Lost Studio Theatre, La Brea south of Beverly. (323) 933-6944. Closes Sept. 27.

A Bronx Tale. Chazz Palminteri’s solo tale of a boyhood torn between his devotion to the local Mafia wise guy and his hard-working bus driver father is still compelling – nearly early 20 years after its premiere in a small L.A. theater, a subsequent movie version directed by Robert De Niro, and this recent Broadway staging by Jerry Zaks. Palminteri’s in fighting form, but the venue’s awfully big for a soloist – try to sit close to the stage. Wadsworth Theatre, Brentwood. (213) 365-3500. ticketmaster.com. Closes Sept. 21.

Bury the Dead. Irwin Shaw’s 1936 antiwar play is set on a fantasy battlefield. A burial detail is suddenly confronted by a group of corpses of soldiers who refuse to take death lying down and start calling attention to the senselessness of their sacrifices. In order to avoid publicity that could undermine the war effort, the authorities call in the dead men’s womenfolk to try to persuade them to go gently. It’s an arresting set-up, and a couple of stark images stand out. Like the corpses themselves, however, the one-act play lingers a little too long in Matthew Huffman’s sometimes lugubrious staging. Actors’ Gang, Culver City. (310) 838-4264. theactorsgang.com. Closes Sept. 27.

Educating Rita. In 2003, Willy Russell “updated” his 1980 two-hander about a besotted, disillusioned English professor (Bjorn Johnson) and a 26-year-old fledgling student (Rebecca Mozo) who’s trying to escape her hairdresser job and a dead-end marriage. In an author’s note, Russell wrote that his primary goal was to eliminate specific references to the original era that might not be understood, without actually re-setting the play in the new century. OK, but it seems odd that they’re still using typewriters and rotary dial phones in this “update.” And, comparing the two texts briefly, I found a couple new jokes that had nothing to do with either this era or that one. Anyway, Cameron Watson’s U.S. premiere of the new version is well done, if you can look beyond the insular, schematic quality of Rita’s “education” (literature is her only course of study) and the play itself. Colony Theatre, Burbank. (818) 558-7000 x15. colonytheatre.org. Closes Sept. 21.

Fables du Theatre. I left the theater unsure of whether this was a satire of bad avant-garde theater or merely an example of it. As it turns out, the former is true – it’s a co-production between the Unknown Theater and the fictitious “Immanence Theatre Artists”; co-writer Brenda Varda even created a web site for “Immanence.” Supposedly an adaptation of three French tales by Varda and Marva Lewis, the fables themselves feel like half-baked drama school exercises without much point or polish. They’re surrounded by a thick layer of meta-theatrical clichés – backstage chaos before the show starts, a planted heckler who later joins the action. The problem is that it just isn’t very funny – or necessary, considering the world’s many more tempting targets. Chris Covics and Lewis co-directed. Unknown Theater, Hollywood. (323) 466-7781. unknowntheater.com. Closes Sept. 27.

The Four of Us. Itamar Moses examines the evolving friendship between two young men: a self-sufficient, wildly successful novelist (Ryan Johnston) and a neurotic, struggling, envious playwright (Steven Klein). The chronological sequence is distorted, but it’s engaging to put the pieces together in Michelle Tattenbaum’s staging for Firefly Theater and VS. Theatre. Moses avoids an opportunity for more memorable emotional fireworks near the end, but it reinforces one of the play’s points – that friendships among young men are often emotionally restricted and transient. Elephant Theatre Lab, Hollywood. (800) 838-3006. fireflyinc.com. Closes Oct. 19.

Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune. Terrence McNally’s portrait of a night spent together by an exuberant short-order cook (Thomas Fiscella) and a defensive waitress (Libby West) contains some of the most winningly romantic writing in the modern American theater, although the down-home characters temper the gushier aspects. Director Todd Nielsen downplays the initial nudity, but by the end of the performance it really doesn’t matter. These characters, and these actors, are glowing. International City Theatre, Long Beach. (562) 436-4610. ictlongbeach.org. Closes Sept. 21.

The Friendly Hour. Tom Jacobson dramatizes selected minutes from the meetings of a women’s social club in rural South Dakota, from 1934 to 2007. Four actresses (Deana Narone, Mara Marini, Kate Mines, Ann Noble) play individual women, while one (Bettina Zacar) plays at least four. Most of them use Norwegian accents, and they all age fairly convincingly, despite having no time for makeup makeovers. Much like the men in The Four of Us (see review), the women’s friendships wax and wane – but they last a lot longer. Mark Bringelson’s staging yields moments of amusement and poignancy. (866) 811-4111. roadtheatre.org. Closes Nov. 1.

Greek Tragedy…Film@11! Steve Oreste tells the story of Aeschylus’s Oresteia with the overlay of commentary from squabbling, modern-dressed TV reporters (Christopher Mur, Lucie McGrane). But the conceit isn’t consistent, styles clash, and the absence of the Aegisthus character is odd. Pico Playhouse, near Century City. (323) 769-5794. voxhumanaproductions.org. Closes Oct. 5.

An Italian Straw Hat: A Vaudeville. South Coast Repertory’s first commissioned musical is an hyper-artificial but winning farce about a would-be bridegroom (Daniel Blinkoff) who’s sent on a wild hat chase. Based on an 1851 hit by French “high” vaudeville master Eugene Labiche, it adds elements of the “low” vaudeville that was popular in 1906 New York, where John Strand’s version is set. Dennis McCarthy’s songs (lyrics by Strand) draw on the popular music of the same time and place. Among the L.A. theater all-stars in Stefan Novinski’s cast are Michelle Duffy, Damon Kirsche, Richard Doyle, Patrick Kerr, Alan Blumenfeld and soon-to-be-all-star Kasey Mahaffey. South Coast Repertory Segerstrom Stage, Costa Mesa. (714) 708-5555. scr.org. Closes Oct. 5.

Long Day’s Journey Into Night. Watching Eugene O’Neill’s long play’s journey into night outdoors, as darkness encircles the stage, isolates the characters in their angst more effectively than most versions. Heidi Helen Davis’s staging of O’Neill’s autobiographical tale of one day in August 1912, at the Tyrone summer home in Connecticut, features William Dennis Hunt as the aging matinee idol, Ellen Geer as his drug-addicted wife, Jim LeFave as their older, boozier son and Aaron Hendry as their younger, consumption-stricken offspring. The three-hour play requires a rested and alert audience, but its temperamental outbursts and quieter moments somehow seem more organic and less fatiguing in this charmed setting. Barring an occasional flubbed line or a few intrusive offstage noises, the actors successfully raise these iconic characters from the dead. Theatricum Botanicum, Topanga. (310) 455-3723. theatricum.com. Closes Sept. 27.

Miracle in Rwanda. Leslie Lewis Sword’s dramatization of how 24-year-old Immaculée Ilibagiza survived Rwandan genocide illustrates how solo shows often aren’t big enough for their subject matter. Ilibagiza reportedly lived for three months in a 3’ by 4’ bathroom – with five, then seven other people. This would be much more vivid and credible if we saw that many actors trying to occupy that small a space for even 30 minutes. Instead, Sword plays everyone, and Ilibagiza’s Jesus and Mary visions are better developed than the depictions of her fellow victims. Edward Vilga co-created and directed this well- intentioned misfire. Los Angeles Theatre Center Theatre 4, downtown L.A. (213) 480-0994. thenewlatc.com. Closes Sept. 28.

My Old Friends. The denizens of a retirement hotel sing (and occasionally dance) songs about old age, or at least old age as it was when this 1979 one-act musical first appeared. Several story lines make tentative appearances, but they’re so slender and pat that the show almost has the nature of a revue instead of a book musical. Which isn’t entirely a loss – some of the songs are quite affecting, and the cast performs them with professional aplomb and seasoning. The first half, in which the characters are tyrannized by an unseen supervisor and sing about their memories of watching an old movie Western, feels rather strained, but the second half is somewhat more persuasive. The romantic leads, Tom Ormeny and Betsy Randle, are appealing, but they look a little too young and vigorous. More at home are such troupers as Pat Hodges, Annie Abbott, Marc Elliot, Malachi Throne and Ruben Rabasa. Victory Theatre, Burbank. (818) 841-5421. victorytheatrecenter.org. Closes Oct. 12.

The Pavilion. Playwright Craig Wright and a narrator (Chris Smith) take us to a high school reunion where the former Cutest Couple (Kristin Chiles, Tim Hamelin) are the focus. Their parting, at age 17, was less than cute, and now he’s regretful and she’s resentful. Smith, playing everyone else of both genders, creates a chain of comic punctuation marks that’s reminiscent of Greater Tuna, but as the narrator he offers more cosmic observations reminiscent of Thornton Wilder. Director Obren Milanovic sets the reunion at 10 years after graduation instead of the 20 years in previous productions elsewhere. This somewhat dilutes the notion that these characters made irrevocable decisions at age 17. However, Chiles and Hamelin are convincing in their angst, and Wright’s no slouch at conjuring brief phrases that ponder big issues. Lyric Theatre, La Brea near Melrose. (323) 939-9220. LyricTheatreLA.com. Closes Oct. 5.

R.R.R.E.D. Politicized by reports that redheads could become extinct by 2100 without massive procreation within the redhead community, members of the tribe meet in secret to hear their fiery leader (co-writer Katie Thompson) and her worshipful but not necessarily hetero acolyte (co-writer Patrick Livingston) sing much of their manifesto, with a few songs from fellow redheads in disguise (among them, co-writer Adam Jackman). It’s amusing, but the sense of a threat to the reds is never sufficiently explained, and the production outlasts its premise, with a couple songs that stray fairly far afield. Grove Theater Center, Burbank. (818) 238-9998. gtc.org. Closes Sept. 27.

The School for Scandal. Richard Sheridan’s 18^th century comedy remains fresh as long as people still like to gossip. Ellen Geer’s staging features skilled turns from Franc Ross as Sir Peter and Willow Geer as his trophy wife. Susan Angelo sneers well as Lady Sneerwell, and Mark Lewis and Jeff Wiesen are excellent as the nephews of the wealthy Oliver Surface (Tim Halligan), who has just returned from India but continues to wear a turban in Shon LeBlanc’s lavish costume design. Snake, normally a male role, is now Widow Snake (Melora Marshall). A few extra verses have been added in between scenes. Still, this kind of comedy isn’t the best fit for a rustic alfresco setting after dark, or for the unadorned architecture of the Theatricum set. Theatricum Botanicum, Topanga. (310) 455-3723. theatricum.com. Closes Sept. 27.

She Loves Me. Kirby Ward’s irresistible revival of this 1962 Masteroff/Harnick/Bock musical, about bickering cosmetics shop clerks (Kevin Symons, Kim Huber) in mid-century Budapest who don’t realize that each of them is the anonymous lonely-hearts-club lover of the other, isn’t as frothy and self-indulgent as the title might indicate. It mixes well-proportioned elements of the bitter with the sweet. Rubicon Theatre Ventura. (805) 667-2900. rubicontheatre.org. Closes Sept. 28.

Sissystrata. Playwright Allain Rochel adapts Aristophanes’s Lysistrata, setting the action in 2013, after gays are not only free to marry but are actively recruited for the military, which is still bogged down in the Middle East. With many of the more masculine gay men signed up for service, Seymore “Sissy” Strata (Michael Taylor Gray) decides to retire from the drag queen life to pursue a political protest in which West Hollywood’s “bottom boys” choose celibacy until the war is over. Why their husbands who are in Iraq would therefore be inspired and somehow enabled to end the war, simply because their guys back home aren’t having sex (presumably with other men?) is never explained. But if the premise makes little sense, the execution by Michael Matthews’s cast is lively and, uh, never drags. Celebration Theatre, Hollywood. (323) 957-1884. tix.com. Closes Sept. 28.

Sona Tera Roman Hess. Taking on the theme of stepmother/stepson lust previously explored by many classic playwrights, Dennis Miles imagines a rural American household vaguely in the past. The straying couple (Dawn Greenidge, Ian Crossland) apologetically returns to the patriarch/painter (Greg Wall) they betrayed. A visiting troupe of circus performers (huh?) leavens the mood, but grim currents resume when the son goes off to war. The wife/stepmother’s partly demented mother (Kathleen Mary Carthy, looking too young despite obvious aging makeup) also lives in the house. She starts the ball rolling with a rather opaque monologue that doesn’t do the play any favors. In Kiff Scholl’s staging the play never reaches the tragic grandeur Miles seeks, coming off as more pretentious than portentous. Lounge Theatre, Hollywood. (323) 960-7864. plays411.com/roman. Closes Sept. 21.

Vanities. Jack Heifner adapts his ‘70s hit play into a musical. In four scenes, we glimpse three friends – a super-organized leader (Anneliese van de Pol), a conventional follower (Sarah Stiles) and a free spirit (Lauren Kennedy). They grow from teenaged cheerleaders in 1963 to sorority sisters, about to leave college, to young urbanites to middle-aged women. This last scene, added for the musical version, feels like a phony happy ending. But David Kirshenbaum’s score helps bridge the chronological gaps and focus the emotions, and the characters seem strangely authentic despite the many missing details. Judith Ivey’s taut staging is more pointed than Heifner’s text. Pasadena Playhouse. (626) 356-PLAY. Pasadenaplayhouse.org. Closes Sept. 28.

Wicked. Teal Wicks and Erin Mackey now play Elphaba and Glinda, respectively, in the long-running musical steamroller about the formative years of Oz’s Wicked Witch and Glinda. They’re both fine, but the roles are so fixed at this late date that it’s difficult to imagine any actresses making themselves particularly distinctive in them. Still, the show deserves repeated viewings, with different details noticeable each time out. Powered by Joe Mantello’s propulsive staging, Stephen Schwartz’s score and Winnie Holzman’s script (from Gregory Maguire’s novel) are simultaneously tongue in cheek and heart on sleeve. Pantages Theatre, Hollywood. (213) 365-3500. BroadwayLA.org. Closes Jan. 11.