Lost on Lankershim

This slate of one-acts, written by John Falchi, offers its share of entertaining moments. First up is “Cowboy Goodbyes,” which is more like a “minivignette.” Directed by Zombie Joe, it’s a quick thank-you addressed to some hospitable ranchers by Jim Eshom, outfitted in cowpoke attire, complete with six-shooter. The costume is the only thing that’s of note. In “Hungry for You,” Falchi directs with a slick comic touch. Matthew Sklar, Charles Dequepin and Greg Kaczynski are French Foreign Legionnaires stranded on a boat and driven to the brink of cannibalism. A surprise ending artfully twists the comic knife. Denise Devin directs “A Year,” a tale of redemptive love that’s a tad overwrought. Danielle Larson and Sarah Lesley are sisters whose familial bond is tested by a terrible accident that’s left one blind and the other an emotional and psychological cripple. Better acting is needed to pull this one off. Falchi directs the dangerously funny “Closing,” the riotous gem of the evening. Tommy Mastak (William Norrett) is the epitome of the smooth-talking pitchman who can talk his way into a deal or contract for just about anything, including sex. Zombie Joe directs the darkly funny “Boy’s Night Out,” in which Brian Ibsen, Jim Eshom, and T. Arthur Cottam play guys enjoying a night of wild drinking, but they sadly find their friendship fatally compromised by a woman. “Stories” is a very cleverly written tale sharply directed by Eshom, which finds three characters (Elizabeth Sage, Jessica Amal Rice and Alejandra Bursik-Cervantes) consigned to a “literary limbo,” and searching not for an author, but for a way out.
Fridays, Saturdays, 8:30 p.m. Starts: Aug. 1. Continues through Aug. 23, 2008