Theater Listings

THE MUSICAL COMEDY MURDERS OF 1940 John Bishop’s musical comedy murder mystery. The Space, 665 N. Heliotrope Dr., L.A.; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 7 p.m.; thru May 11. (323) 661-2585, www.dreamhouseensemble.com.

GO OLD TIMES In paying such scrupulous attention to the comic underpinnings of Harold Pinter’s classic, director John Pleshette sidesteps the monotony that often seeps into the staging of the play. The plot is deviously simple and fertile ground for the darkly funny musicality in the prose that Pinter is renowned for. A married couple, Deeley (Dan Cowan) and Kate (Cecilia Specht), who occupy a farmhouse by the sea, await the arrival of Kate’s longtime friend and former roommate, Anna (Cerris Morgan-Moyer). Let the mind games begin, where past and present inexorably collide. Excellent performances. (LE3) Lost Studio, 130 S. La Brea Ave., L.A.; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 4 p.m.; thru April 13. (323) 871-5830.

ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST Adaptation of Ken Kesey’s novel, by Dale Wasserman. Knightsbridge Theater, 1944 Riverside Dr., L.A.; Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 6 p.m.; thru April 6. (323) 667-0955.

ORANGE FLOWER WATER Craig Wright’s story of small-town adultery. Lyric Theatre, 520 N. La Brea Ave., L.A.; Thurs., Sat., 8 p.m.; thru April 5. (323) 939-9220.

ORANGE LEMON EGG CANARY: A TRICK IN FOUR ACTS Playwright Rinne Groff’s poignant and often beguiling drama depicts the complex parallels between love and magic, equating the irrationality of romantic love with the trickery and misdirection of a magician. As Great, Brett Schneider is a charismatic and appealing performer, impressive as both an actor and a magician. (PB) The Complex, 6476 Santa Monica Blvd., Hlywd.; Thurs.-Sat., 8 p.m.; thru April 5. (323) 960-7862, www.plays411.com/orange.

GO POINT BREAK LIVE! Jaime Keeling’s merciless skewering of the 1991 hyper-action flick starring Keanu Reeves and Gary Busey is loaded with laughs as well as surprises, like picking an audience member to play Reeve’s role of Special Agent Johnny Utah. The city’s banks are being hit by a gang of robbers known as the Ex Presidents, surfers who always wear the masks of former chief executives while making their withdrawals (in this version Ms. Condi Rice makes an appearance). Utah gets his man, but not before a Grand Guignol scene of blood and guts that’s so hideously over the top you can’t stop laughing. (LE3) Charlie O’s Lounge, Hotel Alexandria, 501 S. Spring St., L.A.; Sat.-Sun., 7 p.m. (866) 811-4111, www.CharlieOsLounge.com.

POUR SOME SUNDAY ON ME All-new sketch and improv by the Sunday Company. Groundling Theater, 7307 Melrose Ave., L.A.; Sun., 7:30 p.m. (323) 934-9700.

PROVE IT ON ME Lindsay (Aynsley Bubbico), a wealthy white flapper, argues that you can’t see skin color in the dark. Lesbian blues singer Georgia Brooks (Sweet Baby J’ai) knows better. And so Dee Jae Cox’s expository, repetitive play, set during the Harlem Renaissance, bats around the same old dichotomies of white-versus-black and rich-versus-poor as though mentioning hot buttons is the same thing as exploring them. Kelly Ann Ford directs. (AN) Stella Adler Theatre, 6773 Hollywood Blvd., Hlywd.; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 3 p.m.; Sat., March 29, 3 p.m.; thru March 30. (323) 960-7721, www.plays411.com/proveit.

GO REGRETROSEXUAL: THE LOVE STORY Straight comedian Dan Rothenberg spent two years in San Francisco dating men so he wouldn’t face rejection from his best friend — one of the neuroses he let spill in his earlier, one-man show. Two years later his equally psychologically damaged wife, Colleen Crabtree, joins him to create this touching and hilarious two-hander that follows their courtship. Richard Kuhlman’s light director’s touch switches directions whenever the play begins to move toward either bathos or goofiness. (TP) Hudson Guild Theater, 6539 Santa Monica Blvd., Hlywd.; Thurs.-Sat., 8 p.m.; thru April 12. (323) 960-7822, www.plays411.com/regretrosexual.

SEASCAPE WITH SHARKS & DANCER Don Nigro’s beachside love story. Lyric Theatre, 520 N. La Brea Ave., L.A.; Fri., 8 p.m.; Sun., 7 p.m.; thru April 6. (323) 939-9220.

 GO SECRETS OF THE TRADE In his sharp, funny comedy drama, Jonathan Tolins explores the ambiguities of the mentor-pupil relationship. Gay teenager Andy Lipman (Edward Tournier) longs for a career in the theater and idolizes Martin Kerner (John Glover), a legendary, Tony-winning writer-director. Dad is delighted, but Mom (Amy Aquino) fears Kerner’s out to seduce her boy. Tolins knows the milieu well, and Glover offers a flamboyantly flawless star turn. Director Matt Shakman finely balances comedy with emotional probing. (NW) Black Dahlia Theatre, 5453 W. Pico Blvd., L.A.; Wed.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 7 p.m.; thru April 20. (800) 838-3006, www.thedahlia.com.

SERIAL KILLERS Late-night serialized stories, voted on by the audience to determine which ones continue. Sacred Fools Theater, 660 N. Heliotrope Dr., L.A.; Sat., 11 p.m. (310) 281-8337.

GO SEXY LAUNDRY In the American premiere of Michele Rimi’s look at making love in middle age, Alice Lane (Frances Fisher) brings her reluctant husband, Henry (Paul Ben-Victor), along with a copy of Sex for Dummies, to a fabulously expensive hotel in hopes of rekindling their romance. Alice and Henry’s sparring provides much hilarity, but between the barbs are painful and touching moments of a couple scraping the dark corners of their marriage. Gary Blumsack’s direction is equally nuanced and dynamic. (MK) Hayworth Theater, 2509 Wilshire Blvd., L.A.; Thurs.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 7 p.m.; thru April 6. (213) 289-9860.