Theater Reviews: La Posada Magica, Women Behind Bars, Peep This

PEEP THIS A quintet of vivacious female comedians (Sydney Benner, Tiffany Phillips, Kari Lee Cartwright, Tia Marrie and Fredericka Meek) otherwise known as BoomChickBoom serves up a bevy of sketches and monologues that have their moments but are weighed down by the proportion of misfires. Chris MacKenzie directs the troupe in an brief evening interspersed with two lackluster videos. Nothing is lackluster about these women’s energy, however. They show a keen sense of animation, as well as droll humor that is best channeled into skits toward the end of the bill, such as “Fairy God Brutha” — a meeting between Ike Turner (Phillips) in Purgatory, and Chris Brown (Meek). Turner’s walking on eggshells from fear of being zapped by a lightning bolt every time he transgresses an omnipotent PC deity by referring to women as bitches or whores. It’s a temptation he struggles with nobly. “Method Acting” is a lovely spoof of Robert De Niro — an entire class (the company) that restricts itself to the actor’s style, with all the accompanying eccentricities, which include vocal patterns and singular lack of eye contact with other actors. Theatre Asylum, 6320 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood; Tuesday, 8 p.m.; through December 15. (818) 578-6114. (Steven Leigh Morris)

A VERY MERRY HAPPY KOSHER CHRISTMAS Set in 1978, playwright Mark Troy’s musty comedy employs a plethora of zany characters to compensate for its stale gags and banal humor. Two slow-witted thieves — Tony (Jeremy Luke) and Carlo (Joey Russo) — stage a robbery at the New York Public Library. The patrons include a young Jewish nurse named Hava (Shelly Hacco), her Muslim fiancé, Mohammad (Abhi Trivedi), and her father, a rabbi (James Engel), who reveals himself to the young couple after stripping off the Santa Claus beard he’d been wearing while stalking them. The rabbi proceeds to rail against their engagement, not only demeaning Mohammad personally but also attacking his faith. At one point the two men launch into a “My God is better than your God” face-off — an embarrassment, for this Jewish critic. Meanwhile, we learn that “mastermind” Tony has a purpose: to obtain money to buy a Chinese baby on the black market for his uncommitted girlfriend, thus securing her love. With 18 characters in all, the rest of the plot unwinds just as mindlessly. The play’s few genuine laughs are overshadowed by the nudge-nudge ethnic stereotypes, reflecting outdated social attitudes. It’s regrettable that designer Danny Cistone’s handsome set and professional lighting skills were so foolishly squandered. Ronnie Marmo directs. Theatre 68, 5419 Sunset Blvd., Hollywood; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 3 p.m.; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m. (No perfs Christmas weekend); through January 3. (323) 467-6688. (Deborah Klugman)

GO  WOMEN BEHIND BARS Before the late playwright Tom Eyen went mainstream by writing the book and lyrics for Dreamgirls, he made his name as Off-Broadway’s most notable purveyor of avant-garde raunch, with such plays as this one, and the nudity-laden The Dirtiest Show In Town. Here, Eyen has created a broad and bawdy takeoff on the B movies and exploitation flicks of the 1940s, but his script owes most to the 1950 John Cromwell women’s prison film Caged. Local drag diva Momma plays the corrupt, sadistic Matron as a larger-than-life figure, part Hope Emerson, part Joan Crawford, and part Wicked Witch of the West. As the ingénue-ish Mary-Eleanor, Jessica Goldapple segues deftly from dewy-eyed heroine to tough, hardened chick. Ted Monte plays her hapless husband, who visits her in prison only to be stripped and gang-raped by the other inmates, including Mary K. DeVault, who scores as a blond airhead; Tara Karsian who’s effective as the tough lesbian Gloria; and Arianna Ortiz as flamboyant Puerto Rican Guadalupe. Director Kurt Koehler, stepping in as an emergency replacement, reduced both cast and audience to helpless laughter. The piece goes on past the point of diminishing returns, but for most of its length it’s a raucous crowd-pleaser. Celebration Theatre, 7051 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood; Thurs.-Sat., 8 p.m., Sun., 3 p.m., through December 20. (323) 957-1884, celebrationtheatre.com (Neal Weaver)