BLACK AND BLUESTEIN In playwright Jerry Mayer’s dramedy, set in 1963 St. Louis, Jewish real estate contractor Jeff Bluestein (Loren Lester) finds his moral compass spinning like a dreidel as he veers from Kennedy liberalism to “not in my backyard,” latent racism. Bluestein is desperate to sell lots on the upscale suburban housing estate he’s created — but he has second thoughts when he’s approached by wealthy and brilliant biochemist Daniel Black (John Eric Bentley), who is interested in buying. Black is, well, black, and Bluestein’s neighbors are worried about the possibility of plummeting property values. Bluestein is torn between doing the right thing and being pragmatic, even as he becomes good friends with Black. Mayer eschews his traditionally reflexively glib writing style to construct a surprisingly nuanced and personal play that cleverly examines the need to put your money where your mouth is in terms of one’s stated moral beliefs. Director Deborah Harmon’s staging is warm and intimate, and even though the characters sometimes edge into stereotype, they have personality-rich cores. Occasionally the writing falters into awkwardly sincere dogma, peppered with some decidedly tired Jewish jokes, yet the show’s compassion toward its subjects is appealing, as are the engaging turns by Bentley’s charismatic Black and Lester’s sweetly neurotic Bluestein. The Other Space at the SANTA MONICA PLAYHOUSE, 1211 Fourth St., Santa Monica; Sat., 3 & 8 p.m.; Sun., 3 & 7 p.m.; thru Apr... More >>>