Theater Reviews: Atlanta, Local Story, Schoolhouse Rock

PICK  BENEDICTUS The virtues of Israeli playwright Motti Lerner’s drama of political intrigue (translated from the Hebrew by Anthony Berris) come from its world-weary humor and very global perspective — a prescient saga written post-9/11 yet before U.S. saber rattling against Iran started getting louder, it’s set as the U.S. prepares to bomb an Iranian nuclear facility. In a Benedictine monastery near Rome, childhood friends now in middle age reunite — if not to save the world, at least to save their part in it. Iranian-born Jew Asther Muthada (Ali Pourtash) — dressed like a used-car salesman on holiday in an all-white suit — has become an Israeli arms dealer and is now terrified of what will become of his sister and her family who remained in Iran, once American bombs start dropping on Tehran. The drama consists of a series of his clandestine meeting with a moderate Iranian cleric, Ali Kermani (Al Faris) — in black religious garb — who might or might not have a chance of being Iran’s next president, and who might or might not wield the influence to get Muthada’s sister out of Iran. In their youth, the men shared a schoolyard and prison cell during the revolution against the Shah. The play is set mostly in the dank claustrophobia of the Spartan meeting room — stained glass beamed onto the black wall like a mirage (set by Daniel Michaelson). And despite the somewhat stock melodrama, and the constricted range of line deliveries by Pourtash, who still possesses an appealingly wry portrayal of the Israeli, the two men negotiating for arms has the scintillating wit of bluff and counterbluff, as the Israeli tries to save his sister, and the Iranian tries to save his skin. Earll Kingston has a thundering voice, and John Bolton’s snake-oil charm, as an American diplomat/intermediary — don’t tread on U.S. But an opening scene is emblematic of the play’s droll humor: On the eve of World War III, a nun (Lisa Tateosian), who may or may not have planted listening devices, welcomes the Israeli visitor with ingratiating formality, saying that the church would do anything for world peace, and Muthada just stares at her as though she were just released from the mental ward. The play was created in collaboration with Michaelson, Roberta Levitow, Torange Yeghizarian and director Mahmood Karimi-Hakak. Golden Thread Productions at THE NEW LATC, 514 S. Spring St., dwntwn.; Thurs.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 3 p.m.; thru Dec. 9. (323) 461-3673. (Steven Leigh Morris)   CRY-BABY  John Waters’ new musical is a Broadway-style camp frolic about teens in 1954 Baltimore that follows in the stylistic footsteps of Hairspray.   It’s harmless and delightful, lacking the ironic depth of Waters’ 1990 film, on which it’s based. Cry Baby (James Snyder), a rock singer and member of the bad-boy Drapes gang, falls into a star-crossed love affair with Allison (Elizabeth Stanley) — the prettiest of the Squares, a group that includes her should-be boyfriend, Baldwin (Christopher H. Hanke), a member of a four-part harmony crew. Deftly guided by director Mark Brokaw, the cast deliver the sappy comedy with aplomb, particularly the hilarious Harriet Harris as the lead den mother of the Squares. David Javerbaum and Adam Schlesinger’s songs are catchy and clever, especially under the fine musical direction of Lynne Shankel. However, the excitement of this show comes mostly from Rob Ashford’s nonstop, over-the-top choreography, which takes full advantage of the outstanding dancers. Catherine Zuber’s bright and intensely period costumes perfectly match Scott Pask’s ambitious, constantly moving sets, brilliantly lit by Howell Binkley. LA JOLLA PLAYHOUSE, 2910 La Jolla Village Dr., La Jolla; Tues.-Wed., 7:30 p.m.; Thurs.-Fri., 8 p.m.; Sat., 2 & 8 p.m.; Sun., 2 & 7 p.m.; thru Dec. 16. (858) 550-1010. (Tom Provenzano)

HARM’S WAY  Shem Bitterman’s play is a thoughtful, stateside view of America’s actions in Iraq, centered on an Army atrocity that is investigated by a military father (Jack Stehlin) whose daughter (Katie Lowes) falls in love with the case’s chief suspect (Ben Bowen). While it doesn’t completely fulfill its dramatic potential, the two-hour show, directed by Steve Zuckerman, mostly avoids editorializing, preferring instead to question how good people do terrible things. CIRCUS THEATRICALS STUDIO THEATER at the Hayworth, 643 Carondelet St., L.A.; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m. (no perfs Dec. 21-22, 28-29 & Jan. 4-5); thru Feb. 9. (323) 960-1054. (Steven Mikulan) See Stage feature next week.

LOCAL STORY Kristen Palmer’s play suggests you can go home again, but you may not be welcomed when you get there. Years ago, D’Lady (Michelle Hilyard) ran away with goofy guy Jimmy (Jeffrey Emerson), and took him to an isolated Colorado melon patch, then absconded with his car. In the melon patch, Jimmy had a brief encounter with a fey, barefoot young woman, Betsy (Mandi Moss), who seems to have escaped from a folk tale, but in the play’s action has now returned in pursuit of Jimmy, who now shares a house with passive Bubba (David Wilcox), who carries a torch for D’Lady. (Bubba hasn’t set foot out of doors since she left.) Bubba’s sister, Amory (Jennifer Anne Evans), is a control freak who manipulates her husband, Roy (Monroe Makowsky), by withholding sex. But now that she’s eager to have a child, he reacts passive-aggressively by becoming impotent. (He also sees ghosts.) When D’Lady reappears on the scene, she serves as a catalyst to energize the others. Director Inger Tudor gives the piece an excellent production, and the performances are fine, but it’s a rambling (though often amusing) tale about eccentric characters behaving eccentrically. THEATRE OF NOTE, 1517 N. Cahuenga Blvd., Hlywd.; Thurs.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 7 p.m.; thru Dec. 16. (323) 993-6103. (Neal Weaver)