GO ASSISTANCE In playwright Leslye Headland’s droll workplace comedy, the Caligulan corporate boss for whom all workers leap through hoops is never actually seen onstage. Instead, Headland’s opus focuses on the Great Man’s procession of ill-fated young assistants, who are virtually forced to crawl through a sea of muck in their attempt to get a whack at a cubicle office. In a Manhattan corporation, rumpled young assistant Nick (Adam Shapiro) is brilliant at his chosen avocation of bootlicking, flattering and call rolling — so brilliant that he just might wind up being an assistant till his dying day. When senior assistant Vince (Graham Sibley) is promoted (and turns effortlessly into an oily skank), Nick develops some romantic chemistry with Vince’s replacement, Nora (Katie Lowes), who may be just too sensitive for the elevated level of sharkishness required. Meanwhile, all need be wary of the perky ice princess, new hire Jenny (Amy Rosoff). Headland’s skill for scathingly taut dialogue emerges crisply in director Annie McVey’s production. With its ferocious pacing and intense mood, the show captures the resigned hatefulness of those who define themselves by their masters. Shapiro’s cardigan-wearing “big bro” assistant, who knows how to work the system like a virtuoso, particularly shines. Lowes’ ultimately fragile Nora and Rosoff’s she-devil of ambition are similarly believable and funny. Working Stage Theatre, 1516 Gardner St., W. Hlywd.; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; thru May 24. (866) 811-4111 or www.iamatheatre.com. An Iama Theatre Company Production. (Paul Birchall)
Jean-Louis Darville
Jean-Louis Darville
Klub
Maia Rosenfeld
Coffee Will Make You Black
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Klub
Maia Rosenfeld
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Coffee Will Make You Black
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The Concept of Remainders
CELL PHONE FUNERAL While frivolous gay boy Zackery (Gabriel Loup) is out cruising L.A. in his SUV, he’s so distracted by the cute number in the next car that he inadvertently runs over Patrick (Miles Nevin, seen only in a huge photo cutout). Patrick’s East Coast family, including his alcoholic mother (Trudy Forbes), his straight brother (JP Hubbell) and his pill-popping aunt (Meredith Thomas), head west to plan his last rites. Since they haven’t seen him in years, and know nothing of his life, they must use his cell phone to broadcast funeral invitations to everybody on his calling list. The result is a very odd service, held at the Six Feet Under Spa, with its aggressively fey proprietor (Mauricio Sanchez). Mourners include a Latino trick (Carlitos DeSouto), a superflamboyant drag queen (Aaron Barrera) wearing enough sequins, glitter and rhinestones to stock a Vegas spectacular, and a gay priest (Hubbell), among others. An oddball gay guardian angel (Akiva David) keeps the pot boiling. John Patrick Trapper’s haphazard script features a welter of broad stereotypes, gay clichés and ribald one-liners, and director Julie Nunis provides a cheerfully slapdash production. But the piece has found its audience, who seemed to find much of it hilarious. The Actor’s Playpen, 1514 Gardner St., Hlywd.; Fri.-Sat., 8 & 10 p.m.; thru May 17. Plays411.com or Goldstarevents.com. Note: Several roles are double cast. May 9 perf to benefit AIDS Project L.A.; WideStance Productions. (Neal Weaver)
GO THE CONCEPT OF REMAINDERS In its world premiere, Richard Martin Hirsh’s examination of midlife crises features two couples who become very close. Mac (Dan Gilvezan) and Mary (Suzanne Ford) live a comfortable suburban life, but on the eve of another birthday, Mac is restless. For his present, Mary offers to let Mac sleep with anyone he wants to for a period of 10 days, and though Mac is reluctant to accept, he does so under the condition that Mary be allowed the same privilege. Mac’s fantasy centers on Sophie (Meredith Bishop), the fetching young wife of Elliot (Bradley Fisher), a good friend who has his own midlife issues. Thrown into this pas de quatre is Faith (Salli Saffioti), a sassy, no-nonsense cocktail waitress whom Mac attempts to seduce. As fantasies are explored, so are the dangers of risking what is familiar and comfortable. Mark L. Taylor’s direction gets the most from his actors, whose nonverbal reactions provide as much of the comedy as the dialogue, which starts out bright and witty, but at times becomes philosophically heavy-handed. However, the ensemble is captivating and gives strong performances across the board. Keith Mitchell’s set design is innovative and efficient, and Kelly Graham’s costumes look great on a cast that slips in and out of them with aplomb. Chandler Studio Theatre Center, 12443 Chandler Blvd., N. Hlywd.; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 3 p.m.; thru May 17. (800) 838-3006. Presented by the Production Company. (Mayank Keshaviah)
COFFEE WILL MAKE YOU BLACK Adolescent Stevie (Diona Reasonover) doesn’t know if she’s a virgin or not — or even what a virgin is. This special innocence will cling to her over the next few years as she makes and loses new girlfriends, none of whom can understand why she hasn’t slept with a boy by the time she’s 17. Stevie’s conflicting quest for coolness, friendship and love forms the play’s center, but Michael A. Shepperd’s comedy drama, adapted from April Sinclair’s 1994 novel of the same name, is also a celebratory mural of black Chicago neighborhood life in the late 1960s. Stevie’s world rests on her family, embodied by Mama (Cecelia Antoinette), her best friend Carla (Charlene Modeste), and the young men who attract and repel her (Deon Lucas, Theodore Perkins and Damani Singleton). Director Nataki Garrett is thoroughly attuned to the book’s time and milieu, and his robust ensemble, led by the likable Reasonover and supported by Colette Divine in several powerhouse characterizations, creates an electric evening. The show does run somewhat long and has room for improvement, as, on opening night, a couple of actors either occasionally stumbled or delivered unfocused line readings. More structurally problematic, Act 2 becomes a little too schematic in tying in the turbulent awakening of black pride with the characters’ lives. Still, if I were to never review another play, I’d consider myself lucky to have seen this production. Celebration Theatre, 7051-B Santa Monica Blvd., Hlywd.; Thurs.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 3 p.m.; thru May 25. (323) 957-1884. (Steven Mikulan)
