New Theater Reviews

GO THE GOLDEN HOUR Set in Los Angeles’ Korean-American community, Philip W. Chung’s compelling play about faith examines what connects us to other people. Two young, attractive lawyers, Laura (Linda Shing) and Stephen (Ryun Yu), seem to be a perfect match. But when Stephen proposes marriage, Laura dodges his proposal, and her ensuing anxiety causes her to crash her car on Wilshire. Close to death, she has an out-of-body experience in which she can hear what the other drivers are saying, including a prayer uttered by an older Korean-American woman. After recovering from the accident, Laura decides to find the woman. Her search is successful in more ways than one — her initial visit to Hee Sun Park (Saachiko) interrupts the older woman’s suicide attempt. Continuing to visit the suicidal woman after she is released from the hospital, Laura learns that she is still mourning the loss of her only child, who was raped and murdered many years ago. Feeling helpless, Laura turns to her pastor (Eddie Shin) for emotional and spiritual support, fearful for Mrs. Park as well as for her own troubled sister (Rachel Morihiro). The actors deliver impeccable performances under Jeff Liu’s assured direction, and Chung’s smart and frequently humorous writing cleverly sidesteps the maudlin and the mawkish. Lodestone Theater Ensemble at GTC Burbank, 1111-B W. Olive Ave., Burbank; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 3 p.m.; thru May 21. (323) 993-7245. (Sandra Ross)

A HOLE IN THE DARK The Rosehues are a white family whose patriarch, Desmond (Michael Adler), is a construction contractor suing to prevent the local government from awarding business to his longtime African-American protégé — and next-door neighbor — who has set up his own business. Desmond gets further grief in the form of two neurotic daughters (Robyn Cohen and Corryn Cummins) and a deafeningly altruistic son (Josh D. Green). The checklist of tropes in Hilly Hicks Jr.’s racial farce is pitilessly familiar. Dysfunctional white family — seen it; a long-suppressed “woodpile” secret that wraps up a meandering plot — been there; ugly suburban tract house set — lived it. What is it, then, that makes this production, directed by Darin Anthony, occasionally burp with laughter and simmer with potential? It could be the giddy shifts in history between the present and slavery times. Or it might be the powerhouse performances by Jodi Carlisle as the boozy Mrs. Rosehue and an antebellum plantation owner, and by Leonard Roberts as a female black slave who speaks in modern ghetto patois. Or it could be the sharp, Ortonesque banter that fills in the otherwise ponderous spaces between scene climaxes. Hicks’ play premiered in 1999 but still needs much work for it to be something more than an exercise in audience patience — a piece that could be Twilight of the Golds but now seldom rises above All in the Family. The Blank Theater Company at the Second Stage Theater, 6500 Santa Monica Blvd., L.A.; Thurs.-Fri., 8 p.m.; Sat., 7:30 p.m.; Sun., 2 p.m.; thru May 28. (323) 661-9827. (Steven Mikulan)

IDLE WORSHIP: Free Fanjul & Brandohead Except for fitting into the titular pun of “Idle” for “Idol,” these plays are far afield from one another in theme, style and, especially, quality. Free Fanjul was written by Dennis Miles for three male actors, but is alternating in rep here with a male cast and a female cast. The story is a frightening riff on those who fall in love with cruel partners — including those who become obsessed with death-row inmates. I saw the exquisite distaff cast (Julia Prud’homme, Jennifer Ann Evans and Cathy Carlton) who produce chills with the depth of their emotional and physical abuse. Director Kiff Scholl manages to happily exploit the few moments of comedy while staying true to the horror of these savage characters. Far from the painful eloquence of the opening play is Chris Danowski’s Brandohead, a sophomoric stab at Ionesco absurdity in which a giant Marlon Brando head (voiced by Phillip C. Curry) bursts into the bathroom of two hapless actors (Terry Tocantins and Michelle Hilyard). Both characters spout meandering diatribes, compared to which Brando’s scenes in Apocalypse Now sound like first-grade primers. Director Dara Weinberg makes a bit of sense with talented performers, but ultimately the event is simply irritating. Theater of NOTE, 1517 N. Cahuenga Blvd., Hlywd.; Thurs.-Sat., 8 p.m.; thru May 27. (323) 856-8611. (Tom Provenzano)

IPHEGENIA IN AULIS Colette Freedman’s adaptation of Euripides’ classic opens with sound designer Jeanine Stehlin’s hypnotic sea echoes and lighting designer Derrick McDaniel’s auspiciously scarlet shadows. Alas, the magic soon fades. Under Jack Stehlin’s direction, the epic tale of Agamemnon (Thomas Kopache), the Greek general compelled to sacrifice his daughter Iphigenia (Jade Sealey) to conquer Troy, assumes the hauteur of tragedy but not the humanity. As the tormented Dad, Kopache’s existential deliberation comes off tortuously cerebral. John Ross Clark, as Agamemnon’s splenetic brother, Menelaus, appears to explode on cue, leveling a powerful scene between the brothers to disappointing theatrics. The drama takes on more emotional substance around Strawn Bovee’s gracious Clytemnestra, convincing as both a queen and Iphigenia’s anguished mother. Jerry Goble also scores points for his understated Achilles. Freedman’s transmutation of the chorus’ speeches into contemporary rhyming couplets comes off as cute rather than clever or eloquent. Circus Theatricals at the Hayworth, 2511 Wilshire Blvd., L.A.; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; thru May 20. (323) 960-1054. (Deborah Klugman)