Say You Love Satan

"Hell holds a special place for people who work on Disney musicals," observes Jack, the devil-may-care hunk in Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa's impish comedy. And, as the self-admitted son of Satan, Jack (Elias Gallegos) should know. Just why this disco-hopping demon has chosen to mate with the smart but rather doughy Andrew (Doug Sutherland) forms the play's spooky mystery. This question nags Andrew, a budding Dostoyevsky scholar, but not enough for him to lay off Jack's ripped torso. Part of the answer is that Andrew, though a decent man, is clearly longing for something wilder and more wicked in life than he gets from his demanding fag-hag girlfriend, Bernadette (Amber Flamminio), his insufferable ex, Chad (Drew Droege), and the romantic but impossibly virtuous do-gooder, Jerrod (Eric Jorgenson). Written in the I Married a Witch vein of catty 1940s film farces, but with just enough foreboding to whisper Rosemary's Baby, this two-act offers a charming and thoughtful twist on Faustian mythology. Although packed with bitchy gags about gay life and pop fashions (and in need of a somewhat sharper ending), the play also highlights the tension created by a subculture obsessed with youth and appearances on the one hand, and the need for spiritual nourishment on the other. Brian Shnipper directs an excellent cast with an ear finely tuned to the dialogue's nuances and an eye focused on emotional detail. ATTIC THEATRE, 5429 W. Washington Blvd., L.A.; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 2 p.m.; thru Feb. 24. (323) 525-0600, Ext. 2# or "Reserve Line."-Steven Mikulan