Stage Raw: 'Tis the Season of Season Announcements

Bring It On: The Musical: libretto by Jeff Whitty. music and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda, music by Tom Kitt; Ahamanson productions launches national tour: October 30 – December 10, 2011; Funny Girl:  January 15- Feb. 26, 2010; Fela!, featuring the music of music of Afrobeat legend Fela Anikulapo-Kuti: April 25 – June 3, 2010; War Horse, National Theatre of Great Britain's production, based on Michael Morpurgo's novel: June 13 – July 22, 2012

PASADENA PLAYHOUSE

South Street, a new musical by Craig Carlisle and Richard Addrisi, begins perfs September, 2011; Pastoral, new play by Frank Tagredi, starring Angela Bassett, perfs start November, 2011; Yasmina Reza's Art, performances being January, 2010; Ruth and Augustus Goetz' The Heiress, starts April 2010; and a summer musical to be announced, perfs start June, 2012.

ANTAEUS COMPANY

The Malcontent, John Marston's Jacobean classic. May 5 through June 19, with previews beginning April 28; Classicsfest 2011: a six-week “smorgasbord” of

actor-initiated workshops, readings, and special events: a different

project will take place almost every night of each week, July 12 through

August 19; Peace in Our Time, Noël Coward's one and only anti-war propaganda play. October 20 through December 11, with previews beginning October 13.

For this weekend's COMPREHENSIVE THEATER LISTINGS, press the More tab directly below.

COMPREHENSIVE THEATER LISTINGS FOR MARCH 18 – 24, 2011

Our critics are Pauline Adamek, Paul Birchall, Lovell Estell III, Rebecca Haithcoat, Mayank Keshaviah, Deborah Klugman, Amy Lyons, Steven Leigh Morris, Amy Nicholson, Tom Provenzano, Bill Raden, and Neal Weaver. These listings were compiled by Derek Thomas

Productions are sequenced alphabetically in the following cagtegories: Opening This Week, Larger Theaters regionwide, Smaller Theaters in Hollywood, Smaller Theaters in the valleys , Smaller Theaters on the Westside and in beach towns. You can also search for any play by title, using your computer's search engine.

OPENING THIS WEEK

THE BIRTHDAY PRESENT 2050 Argyle Road Productions presents Tania Wisbar's story of a dystopian future where the elderly have to pay to keep living. Fridays, Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 7 p.m. Continues through April 17, (323) 960-7733, plays411.com. Skylight Theater, 1816 1/2 N. Vermont Ave., L.A..

BONDED Donald Jolly's story of slavery, set on a plantation in 1820s Virginia. Thursdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m. Continues through April 9, playwrightsarena.org. Los Angeles Theater Center, 514 S. Spring St., L.A., (866) 811-4111, thelatc.org.

CROOKED ROAD Streetlamp Studio presents Erin Gaw's modern-day adaptation of Jane Austen's Persuasion, set in South Los Angeles. Fri., March 18, 8 p.m.; Sat., March 19, 8 p.m.; Sun., March 20, 7 p.m.; Fri., March 25, 8 p.m.; Sat., March 26, 8 p.m.; Sun., March 27, 2 & 7 p.m. Lost Studio, 130 S. La Brea Ave., L.A., (323) 871-5830.

DEATH OF A SALESMAN Stacy Keach and Jane Kaczmarek star in Arthur Miller's tragedy. Fri., March 18, 8 p.m.; Sat., March 19, 2:30 p.m.; Sun., March 20, 4 p.m., (310) 827-0889, latw.org. Skirball Cultural Center, 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Brentwood, skirball.org.

THE ECCENTRICITIES OF A NIGHTINGALE Tennessee Williams' re-write of his own play Summer and Smoke. Sat., March 19, 8 p.m.; Sun., March 20, 2 p.m.; Sat., April 16, 8 p.m.; Sun., April 17, 2 p.m.; Wed., April 20, 8 p.m.; Thu., April 21, 8 p.m.; Fri., April 22, 8 p.m.; Sat., May 7, 2 & 8 p.m.; Sun., May 8, 2 p.m.; Sun., May 22, 2 & 7 p.m.; Thu., May 26, 8 p.m.; Fri., May 27, 8 p.m.; Sat., May 28, 8 p.m. A Noise Within, 234 S. Brand Blvd., Glendale, (818) 240-0910, anoisewithin.org.

FLIGHT OF THE TURKEY Megan Gogerty's one-woman show. Resv. required. Mon., March 21, 8 p.m.; Tue., March 22, 8 p.m. Pasadena Playhouse, 39 S. El Molino Ave., Pasadena, (626) 356-PLAY, pasadenaplayhouse.org.

GIRLS TALK Roger Kumble's take on the status-climbing mommies of Brentwood. Thursdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 3 p.m. Continues through April 24, (800) 595-4849, tix.com. Lee Strasberg Institute, Marilyn Monroe Theatre, 7936 Santa Monica Blvd., L.A..

GLORY DAYS High school friends in college reunite for a prank, in Nick Blaemire and James Gardiner's one-act musical. Starting March 19, Thursdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 3 p.m. Continues through April 24, (323) 960-7792, plays411.com/glorydays. Lillian Theatre, 1076 N. Lillian Way, L.A..

THE INSOMNIA PLAY Vitality Productions presents Jessica Brickman's tale of a girl who never sleeps. Fridays, Sundays, 8 p.m.; Fridays-Sundays, 8 p.m. Continues through April 10, (847) 800-1762, vitality.publishpath.com. Lyric-Hyperion Theater Cafe, 2106 Hyperion Ave., L.A., lyrichyperion.com.

AN ITALIAN AMERICAN INDIAN Angel Vision Productions presents Angelo Masino's story of a divorced dad at a crossroads in life. Fridays, Saturdays, 7:30 p.m. Continues through April 9, (310) 374-9767. 2nd Story Theatre, 710 Pier Ave., Hermosa Beach.

LA QUINTA PERED (THE FIFTH WALL) Written by Maykol Hernandez. Presented in Spanish, without supertitles. Fri., March 18, 8 p.m.; Sat., March 19, 8 p.m. Los Angeles Theater Center, 514 S. Spring St., L.A., (866) 811-4111, thelatc.org.

THE MERCY SEAT Neil LaBute's play about a man who cheated death on 9/11 by cheating on his wife. Starting March 19, Wednesdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 2 p.m. Continues through April 24. [Inside] the Ford, 2580 Cahuenga Blvd. E., L.A., (323) 461-3673, fordtheatres.org.

THE MOTOR YEARS Alex Morris and Dan Martin star in Norm Foster's “black comedy.” Fridays, Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 3 p.m. Continues through March 27. Theatre/Theater, 5041 Pico Blvd., L.A., (323) 422-6361, www.theatretheater.net.

OTHELLO William Shakespeare's tragedy. Starting March 24, Thursdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m. Continues through April 16, latensemble.com. Powerhouse Theatre, 3116 Second St., Santa Monica, (310) 396-3680.

THE PRISONER OF SECOND AVENUE Neil Simon's rat race comedy. Starting March 19, Fridays, Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 3 p.m. Continues through April 17, (323) 960-7862, plays411.com/prisoner. GTC Burbank, 1111-B W. Olive Ave., Burbank, gtc.org.

PRIVATE LIVES Noel Coward's comedy about exes honeymooning in the same hotel. Starting March 19, Sat., March 19, 7:30 p.m.; Sundays, 2 p.m.; Tuesdays-Fridays, 8 p.m.; Saturdays, 2 & 8 p.m.; Sun., March 27, 7 p.m.; Thu., March 31, 2 p.m. Continues through April 10. Laguna Playhouse, 606 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach, (949) 497-2787, lagunaplayhouse.com.

RENT The Royal Underground Theatre presents Jonathan Larson's rock opera. Fridays, Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 3 p.m. Continues through April 23, (323) 960-7822, plays411.com/rent. Hudson Backstage Theatre, 6539 Santa Monica Blvd., L.A., hudsontheatre.com.

SOUTHERN COMFORTS Feisty widow and crusty widower discover love, by Kathleen Clark. Fridays, Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 2 p.m. Continues through April 10. International City Theatre, Long Beach Performing Arts Center, 300 E. Ocean Blvd., Long Beach, (562) 436-4610, ictlongbeach.org.

TICKET TO RIDE MUSICAL: A FUSION OF THEATRE AND BEATLES MUSIC The story of the Beatles, as seen from the perspective of manager Brian Epstein, with live music by tribute band Abbey Road. Sat., March 19, 8 p.m. Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts, 12700 Center Court Drive, Cerritos, (562) 467-8818, cerritoscenter.com.

THE VAGINA MONOLOGUES Eve Ensler's monologues on sex, love, rape, menstruation, masturbation, birth and orgasm, benefiting City of Joy and the Los Angeles branch of Break the Cycle. Sat., March 19, 8 p.m. Lyric-Hyperion Theater Cafe, 2106 Hyperion Ave., L.A., (323) 906-8904, lyrichyperion.com.

THE WEIR Conor McPherson's tales from an Irish pub. Fri., March 18, 7:45 p.m.; Saturdays, Sundays, 2 & 7:45 p.m.; Tuesdays-Fridays, 7:45 p.m.; Sun., April 3, 2 p.m. Continues through April 2. South Coast Repertory, 655 Town Center Dr., Costa Mesa, (714) 708-5555.

WORDTHEATRE LIT BY LULU Jeff Goldblum, Jessalyn Gilsig, Emily Bergl and Sharon Lawrence perform stories by Michelle Latiolais and T.C. Boyle. Sat., March 19, 7:30 p.m., wordtheatre.com. M Bar, 1253 Vine St., L.A., (323) 856-0036, mbarhollywood.com.

WRITER'S BLOCK Two one-acts by Woody Allen. Fridays, Saturdays, 8 p.m. Continues through April 9, thevagabondplayers.com. Raven Playhouse, 5233 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood, (818) 720-2009, ravenplayhouse.com.

CONTINUING PERFORMANCES IN LARGER THEATERS REGIONWIDE

BOOMERMANIA: Debbie Kasper and Pat Sierchio's lively musical revue about baby boomers is much like the boomer culture itself — fluffy and pleasant, but also somewhat sad. The show purports to be a lighthearted gambol down pop-culture memory lane, from the 1950s through the '90s, with the road of boomer excess ultimately leading to a palace of wisdom furnished with Sugar Pops, Mr. Spock, Saturday Night Fever and the Summer of Love. The decades roll by, depicted in a series of quirky skits and punctuated by renditions of rock songs whose lyrics parody the absurdities of eras past. Act 1 is fluff itself: In “Sugar Pops, Captain Crunch,” a group of 1950s teens croon their affection for newly invented sugar cereals to the tune of “Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch.” Later, a dazed married couple warble “Talking 'Bout My Television,” a song depicting near-hypnotized enchantment with their brand-new TV (sung to the tune of “The Beat Goes On”). However, when Act 2 moves into the later decades, Kasper and Sierchio's satire takes on a more melancholy tone, particularly during a sequence at a 10-year high school reunion, in which a few adult boomers come to grips with boomer shock: They're not as special as they thought they were. The show's cast consists of strikingly youthful performers who appear too young even for their first legal cocktail, let alone speedballs at Studio 54. Yet, thanks to Mary Ekler's tightly focused musical direction, their powerful voices evoke far richer emotions than the material they're often asked to sing. While many of the musical skits are crisply performed, the narrative material often falls flat, with frequent allusions to other boomer-dated shows like The Rocky Horror Picture Show and Hair only pointing out those musicals' far more inventive scores. (Paul Birchall). boomermaniathemusical.com Thursdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 3 p.m. Continues through March 27, (866) 811-4111, boomermaniathemusical.com. El Portal Theatre, 5269 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood, elportaltheatre.com.

GO THE COMEDY OF ERRORS A strongman, a ventriloquist, three showgirls and a mimic with 1,000 voices make up just half of the Burlesque on Brand troupe, which enters, grandstands and immediately plunges into Shakespeare's shortest and most slapstick comedy about two pairs of long-lost twins crisscrossing in Ephesus. Here, servant Dromio (Jerry Kernion) wears a plaid toga, argyle socks and saddle shoes. (The four credited costumers have done fantastic work.) When Dromio vents to hero Antipholous (Bruce Turk) that the chubby kitchen wench (Gibby Brand) who claims she's his betrothed “is spherical, like a globe — I could find out countries in her,” their banter smacks of Abbott and Costello. Director Michael Michetti's dynamite ensemble is held together by Turk's leading man, who, like his Errol Flynn mustache and the production itself, is playful and self-mocking, but never ironic. Michetti inventively turns bereft father Egeon's (Michael Stone Forrest) tale of how he lost his four sons — the longest speech in Shakespeare's canon — into a silent black-and-white film, but the director's not above showing a pie in the face. And he even gets laughs for Adriana (Abby Craden) and Luciana (Annie Abrams) in their usually thankless roles. In the first few scenes, the play threatens to become a musical, but once past the momentary misstep of two musical numbers, the production settles into the most droll and deft staging of The Comedy of Errors I've seen in a decade. (Amy Nicholson). Wed., March 23, 8 p.m.; Thu., March 24, 8 p.m.; Thu., April 14, 8 p.m.; Fri., April 15, 8 p.m.; Sat., April 23, 2 & 8 p.m.; Sun., April 24, 2 p.m.; Sun., May 1, 2 & 7 p.m.; Thu., May 5, 8 p.m.; Fri., May 6, 8 p.m.; Sat., May 14, 2 & 8 p.m. A Noise Within, 234 S. Brand Blvd., Glendale, (818) 240-0910, anoisewithin.org.

DISNEY'S BEAUTY AND THE BEAST Based on the 1991 animated film, music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Howard Ashman, book by Linda Woolverton. Tuesdays-Thursdays, 7:30 p.m.; Fridays, 8 p.m.; Saturdays, 2 & 8 p.m.; Sundays, 1 & 6:30 p.m. Continues through March 26. Pantages Theater, 6233 Hollywood Blvd., L.A., (213) 365-3500.

4 CLOWNS Alive Theatre presents four clown archetypes: the sad clown, the mischievous clown, the angry clown and the nervous clown. Conceived and directed by Jeremy Aluma. Thursdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m. Continues through March 19. Long Beach Playhouse, 5021 E. Anaheim St., Long Beach, (562) 494-1014, www.lbph.com.

NEW REVIEW THE FRYBREAD QUEEN

Photo by Tony Dontscheff

Murder. Suicide. Secret liaisons. Child sexual abuse. Homicidal ghosts.

Just when you think playwright Carolyn Dunn's plot has been stretched

to its melodramatic max, she tosses in yet another sensational element.

Set on a Navajo reservation, the story concerns the family tensions

smoldering among Jesse (Jane Lind), a Native American matriarch, her two

daughters-in-law, Carlisle (Shyla Marlin) and Annalee (Kimberly Norris

Guerrero), and her granddaughter, Lily (Elizabeth Frances). The ladies

have good reason to be on edge: Only a week earlier, Jesse's son Paul

splattered his brains all over her kitchen's ceiling and walls. We learn

this in little ways via dialogue between Carlisle and Annalee;

otherwise it's scarcely evident in anyone's demeanor that such an

overwhelmingly bloody and traumatic event has taken place. Instead,

there's heated discussion about who makes the best fry bread (a Native

American staple). While it's clear there's something else going on

beneath this rivalry of housewives, the raw pain engendered by the

recent violent death of everyone's son, father, ex-husband or former

lover doesn't seem to be it. Directed by Robert Caisley, the performers

struggle in vain to make an implausible scenario — which includes

possession by Paul's demonized spirit — seem real, with only Marlin

attaining some credibility as the least neurotic among them. What does

work are four monologues, one from each woman, presented at various

junctures throughout the play, in which a recipe for fry bread becomes a

metaphor for their Indian pride and their womanhood. Autry National

Center, 4700 Western Heritage Way, L.A.; Thurs.-Sat., 8 p.m., Sat.-Sun.,

2 p.m., thru March 27. (323) 667-2000, autry-museum.org. (Deborah Klugman)

GO IN MOTHER WORDS In Mother Words: Simple staging and spirited acting grace this series of vignettes about motherhood. Conceived by Susan Rose and Joan Stein, the string of separate playlets by more than a dozen writers, including Beth Henley and Theresa Rebeck, gains unity in the hands of director Lisa Peterson, who arranges the material into thematic blocks. (Jan Hartley's projection design and Emily Hubley's animation design effectively move the story forward during scene transitions.) Bookended by stories about new moms and seasoned matriarchs, the smart material covers a pleasing variety of parenting terrain, from a mother parting with her war-bound son in Jessica Goldberg's “Stars and Stripes” to a male couple searching for a surrogate in Marco Pennette's “If We're Using a Surrogate.” Though the four actors — Saidah Arrika Ekulona, Jane Kaczmarek, James Lecesne and Amy Pietz — perch on chairs in front of podiums much of the time, their collective connection with the material renders the staged-reading format a barely noticeable factor. Comedy underlines much of the show, but David Cale's “Elizabeth,” a glimpse into the early stages of dementia, and Claire LaZebnik's “Michael's Date,” which lays out a mother's dashed hopes for her autistic son, tug hard at the heart. (Amy Lyons). Tuesdays-Fridays, 8 p.m.; Saturdays, 2 & 8 p.m.; Sundays, 2 & 7 p.m. Continues through March 27. Geffen Playhouse, 10886 Le Conte Ave., Westwood, (310) 208-5454, www.geffenplayhouse.com.

THE UGLY DUCKLING Interactive kids' musical by Lloyd J. Schwartz and Adryan Russ. Saturdays, 1 p.m. Continues through July 9, (818) 761-2203. Theatre West, 3333 Cahuenga Blvd. West, L.A., theatrewest.org.

CONTINUING PERFORMANCES IN SMALLER THEATERS SITUATED IN HOLLYWOOD, WEST HOLLYWOOD AND THE DOWNTOWN AREAS

ATTACK OF THE 50 FT. SUNDAY Jordan Black directs the Groundlings Sunday Company. Sundays, 7:30 p.m. Groundling Theater, 7307 Melrose Ave., L.A., (323) 934-9700, www.groundlings.com.

THE BEST OF LOVE BITES: TEN YEARS TOGETHER . . . AND STILL NO RING Elephant Theatre Company's annual short play festival, presenting the company's best one-acts of the past decade. (Two evenings run in rep.). Thursdays, Fridays, 8 p.m. Continues through March 18, (877) 369-9112, ElephantTheatreCompany.com. Elephant Space Theatre, 6322 Santa Monica Blvd., L.A., www.elephantstages.com.

BOX, WINDOW DOOR Evelyn Stettin's story of two sisters “who suffer the effects of their parents experience in the Holocaust and retreat into their dreams.” Sundays, 7 p.m.; Mondays-Wednesdays, 8 p.m. Continues through March 23. The Mezz, 501 S. Spring St., L.A., (213) 622-6287.

BRENDAN O'LENIHAN LEAVES THREE DAUGHTERS After novelist Brendan O'Lenihan's massively successful literary career spawns “the greatest novel in history” (as one of O'Lenihan's daughters puts it), the writer becomes a recluse, delves into alternative spirituality and cuts off contact with his three daughters. They've congregated for his funeral, and the family dynamic that playwright William Norrett has constructed has the potential to be much more interesting than standard sister fare. Socially speaking, he's hit the dramatic jackpot: Kathleen (Jonica Patella) is a ghostwriter for rappers, Annebeth (Jana Wimer) is an Oscar-winning producer who shrinks behind her filmmaker husband, and Maureen (Bethany Orr) is a teacher in South Africa, with a Ph.D. in physics. Yet while the disparate paths the sisters have taken could more than satisfy the need for conflict required in such a play, Norrett's confidence seems to have faltered, leading him to build on a silly, ultimately irrelevant inheritance premise, the climax of which defies the very term. Though the male ensemble generally succeeds in its supporting roles, it's difficult to decide if the sisters' brittle, forced emotion and general disconnect from the material are the result of being miscast or under-rehearsed. (Rebecca Haithcoat). Fridays, Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 3 p.m. Continues through March 27, (818) 688-1219. Underground Annex Theater, 1308 N. Wilton Place, L.A..

GO CABARET IDOL “There's nothing better to watch than a performer who loves to perform, except two good-looking people having sex,” says host Scot Young. And in week four of season two of this live competition, Young and the packed crowd of fans, friends and family watched 14 performers anxiously take the stage and sing a number for the judges. At the end of the evening there were 12 survivors, another cull in the quest for the grand prize: new head shots, a management contract and a two-night solo show. The performance's theme was, perversely, “No Show Tunes,” which had the contestants in paroxysms. Said one without a hint of sarcasm, “There really aren't that many songs that aren't show tunes!” But try they did, belting out Broadway-esque versions of Journey and Whitesnake and Cyndi Lauper before a scoring panel that didn't let them off the hook. “I want you to do a damn country song,” grumbled a judge in mock exasperation. There were some good voices — and a few great ones — but the audience was there to tap their toes, vote for their favorites and maybe even grab some dinner or a stiff drink if they could flag down one of the waiters zipping around in the standing-room-only dark. (Amy Nicholson). Sundays, 7 p.m. Continues through April 24. Hollywood Studio Bar & Grill, 6122 W. Sunset Blvd., L.A., (323) 466-9917.

GO CAUGHT In the aftermath of Proposition 8 passing in November 2008, one of the regrets of those who fought valiantly for gay marriage and against the proposition was that enough wasn't done to “normalize” gay couples. And while the events in David L. Ray's world-premiere play take place in July 2008, Caught furthers the cause by dramatizing one of those healthy relationships. In it, Angelenos Kenneth (Corey Brill) and Troy (Will Beinbrink) are on the eve of their nuptials, a ceremony that will be officiated by their friend Splenda (Micah McCain), who is ordained via the Internet. This blissful scene is interrupted by a visit from Kenneth's estranged sister, Darlene (Deborah Puette), who is very Southern and very Christian, as well as her daughter, Krystal (Amanda Kaschak). In the interludes between scenes, we also see Darlene's husband, T.J. (Richard Jenik), preaching to his conservative congregation in Georgia. Secrets, lies and surprising revelations fuel the drama. Director Nick DeGruccio deftly takes Ray's strong and likable characters from page to stage, sparingly playing up stereotypes for comedy without ever reducing the characters to them. Adding to the authenticity are Adam Flemming's delightfully detailed set and Katherine Hampton Noland's colorful couture. Adding to the emotional investment in the story is a talented cast; standouts include Puette, for her rich and intense portrayal of Darlene; McCain, for balancing divalike comedy with deep sincerity; and Kaschak, for combining fresh-faced innocence and a willfulness to create a very believable teenager. (Mayank Keshaviah). Fridays, Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 7 p.m. Continues through May 15, (800) 595-4849, CaughtThePlay.com. Zephyr Theater, 7456 Melrose Ave., L.A..

GO COLOGNE, OR THE WAY EVIL ENTERS THE WORLD In this solo drama, writer-director Tony Abatemarco eloquently describes growing up gay in the 1960s in a part of rural Long Island that “looked exactly like Iowa.” If the piece is not, strictly speaking, autobiographical, it's clearly highly personal. In the world of horny teen boys who haven't yet mastered the art of dealing with girls, blatant homoeroticism and rabid homophobia exist side by side (one of the boys performs a spectacular strip-tease to an enthusiastic audience). The protagonist, Harry (Harry Hart-Browne), is a gay boy who's fascinated with Robert, a truculent local hero who's already a man among boys. He sets out to seduce Robert, and to some extent succeeds. Later, when Harry is fearful of being outed, he outs Robert instead, setting him up for a severe beating by local bullies. He retains a life-long fascination with Robert, even after the Stonewall riots provide a measure of personal liberation. Oddly, the narrative is presented in the third person, which has a slightly distancing effect, perhaps necessary to keep the graphic sexual descriptions from being too personal. Hart-Browne delineates his characters sharply and with enormous conviction. (Neal Weaver). Fridays, Saturdays, 8:30 p.m. Continues through March 18, (702) 582-8587, katselastheatre.com. Skylight Theater, 1816 1/2 N. Vermont Ave., L.A..

GO THE CRADLE WILL ROCK When Orson Welles attempted to open his production of this Marc Blitzstein musical in 1937, it had to contend with attempts to shut it down by the U.S. Congress, the bureaucrats of the Federal Theatre Project and Actors' Equity. The fact that it was able to open at all was epic. In Blitzstein's work, the cradle represents not the sleeping baby of the lullaby, but a corrupt and immoral establishment bent on co-opting every aspect of American life. In Steeltown, USA, in 1937, local tycoon Mr. Mister (Peter Van Norden) has corrupted press, church, educators, artists and doctors to serve his greed and power hunger. He's opposed only by labor organizer Larry Foreman (Rex Smith, looking and sounding like the quintessential 1930s working-class hero), who leads a stirring call to action. Generic names like Reverend Salvation (Christopher Carroll) and Dr. Specialist (Rob Roy Cesar) are standard elements of agit-prop theater, but here the characters are given enough personal eccentricities to keep them funny and human. In bringing back many elements of his 1995 production for this same theater, director Daniel Henning gives us a lively, rousing, highly stylized version and doesn't patronize us by overinsisting on the obvious contemporary parallels. There are terrific performances from musical director David O and a hugely talented cast of 19, with special kudos to Smith, Gigi Bermingham as a soigné Mrs. Mister, Tiffany C. Adams, Jack Laufer, David Trice, Will Barker, Lowe Taylor, Matt Wolpe and several others. (Neal Weaver). TheBlank.com Thursdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 2 p.m.; Sat., March 19, 2 p.m. Continues through March 20, (323) 661-9827, TheBlank.com. Stella Adler Theatre, 6773 Hollywood Blvd., L.A..

GO DADDY Dan Via's Off-Broadway hit, receiving its L.A. premiere, is set in the context of the impassioned debate over gay marriage. Handsome gay newspaper columnist Colin (Gerald McCullouch) and buttoned-down lawyer Stewart (playwright Via) have been best friends for 20 years. Despite a bit of hanky-panky in their college days, their friendship has never become a love affair, though they're closer in many respects than some lovers. When Colin begins an affair with Tee (Ian Verdun), an eager young man half his age, it's a seismic shock to the long-standing relationship. Stewart is resentful of the boy's incursion into their lives, and suspects there's more to Tee than meets the eye. But when he tries to tell Colin about his doubts and suspicions, Colin dismisses them as mere jealousy. Though Via's play gets off to a slow start, things that initially seem cryptic or merely casual prove to be of crucial importance as it progresses, and the piece builds to a startling finale. Director Rick Sparks elicits finely nuanced performances from his three principals, and Adam Flemming provides the handsome and flexible unit set. (Neal Weaver). Fridays, Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 7 p.m. Continues through April 10, plays411.com/daddy. Hudson Guild Theatre, 6539 Santa Monica Blvd., L.A., (323) 856-4249.

DOUG LOVES MOVIES Tuesdays, 7:30 p.m., Free. Upright Citizens Brigade Theater, 5919 Franklin Ave., L.A., (323) 908-8702.

FACEBOOK The weekly show formerly known as MySpace. Wednesdays, 9:30 p.m., $5. Upright Citizens Brigade Theater, 5919 Franklin Ave., L.A., (323) 908-8702.

THE ELEPHANT MAN Oscar-winning makeup artist Barney Burman designed the characters in this staging of Bernard Pomerance's drama about a deformed Englishman. Starting March 24, Thursdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 2 & 7 p.m. Continues through April 24, theelephantmanplay.com. El Centro Theatre, 804 N. El Centro Ave., L.A..

ENDGAME Samuel Beckett's Absurdist one-act, set at “the end of everything.” Fridays, Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sun., April 10, 7 p.m.; Sun., April 17, 7 p.m. Continues through April 23. Sacred Fools Theater, 660 N. Heliotrope Dr., L.A., (310) 281-8337, sacredfools.org.

GO THE FIX UP SHOW Although it's ostensibly a live-onstage dating game show, creator/host J. Keith van Straaten's comedy hybrid owes less of a debt to its venerable matchmaking forebears (The Dating Game, The Love Connection) than it does to the immortal You Bet Your Life. Like that granddaddy of mock TV quiz programs, in which real-life contestants merely served as comic fodder for the ad lib genius of Groucho Marx, The Fix-Up Show is built around the mercurial wit and barbed tongue of the dryly impish Van Straaten. Following introductory repartee between the host and his tongue-in-cheek announcer, Patti Goettlicher, a hapless bachelorette is interviewed and then ensconced backstage. Two of her best friends then join a celebrity guest questioner (this week it was legendary Hitchcock heroine Tippi Hedren) to grill and then vote on three consecutive bachelor prospects during two elimination rounds. The survivor wins the girl and dinner for two next door at Amalfi on a “date” whose video recap provides the prologue for next week's show. In this instance, the friends and movie star rejected a circus owner and a JPL spacecraft engineer in favor of a TV-graphics designer from Fairbanks, Alaska. And while the amateurs on the panel prove to be the format's Achilles heel, with their extemporaneous questions hamstringing as much as helping the comedy, it is a tribute to Van Straaten's considerable comic chops that the show reaps a laugh quotient of which even Groucho would be proud. (Bill Raden). Wednesdays, 8 p.m. Continues through March 30, $15. Acme Comedy Theatre, 135 N. La Brea Ave., L.A., (323) 525-0202, acmecomedy.com.

FREE $$$ Jonas Oppenheim's faux self-improvement workshop, hosted by Robin and Randy Petraeus, Power Couple, “authors in the field of positive thought energy.” Sundays, 7 p.m.; Thu., March 24, 8 p.m.; Thu., March 31, 8 p.m. Continues through April 3. Sacred Fools Theater, 660 N. Heliotrope Dr., L.A., (310) 281-8337, sacredfools.org. See Stage feature

THE GOLDEN GAYS John Patrick Trapper's homotastic comedy inspired by The Golden Girls. Fridays, Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 7 p.m. Continues through April 10, thegoldengays.com. Meta Theater, 7801 Melrose Ave., L.A..

NEW REVIEW GO GROUNDLINGS SINGLES CRUISE

Photo by Shawn Bishop

Sketches by the Groundlings' “A” cast of master improv artists

reliably fall into three categories: “inspired” — in which all the

right notes of exaggeration, situation and universal recognition ignite

an uncontrolled chain reaction of belly laughs; “merely great” — in

which an incisive caricature carries the potential for critical comedy

frisson but melts down before the finish; and “back to the workshop” —

or not recommended for public viewing at this time. Fortunately, this

edition racks up enough of the first and so few of the last that it

warrants a medical warning for laugh-induced abdominal cramps. At the

top of the heap are the pieces that bear the writing credits of Andrew

Friedman, Michael Naughton or Mitch Silpa. In “Honeymoon,” Friedman and

Silpa's irritating preteen ghost twins, Kevin and Kyle, hilariously

connect the horrors of The Shining to the hauntings of Eros-deflating

parenting. With “Q&A,” Naughton and Friedman expertly excoriate the

absurd insipidity of play readings and those who attend them. “The

Terrys” features Jillian Bell and Silpa striking satiric pay dirt in the

surreal fashion faux pas and entertainment non sequiturs perpetrated by

TV comedy variety shows of the early '70s. Charlotte Newhouse, Lisa

Schurga, Jill Matson-Sachoff and Edi Patterson all shine in respective

leaps into the perverse depths of depraved feminine grotesquerie. And

director Mikey Day keeps it all moving at a comedy-conducive clip …

not counting the tediously long scene blackouts, when audiences must

bide their time with the tasty licks of musical director Willie Etra and

his jam-seasoned band. Groundlings Theater, 7307 Melrose Ave., L.A.;

Fri., 8 p.m., Sat., 8 & 10 p.m., thru April 23. (323) 934-9700, groundlings.com. (Bill Raden)

NEW REVIEW HAVING IT ALL

Photo by Michael Lamont

At

Gate B26 in an airport convincingly designed by Stephen Gifford, five

women sit judging each other's clothing. The lady in Prada pumps

(Jennifer Leigh Warren) assumes the woman in sneakers (Shannon Warne)

must be an immature free spirit; the woman in sneakers is convinced that

Prada pumps is a rotten mother. The entrance of a country girl in

awkward heels (Kim Huber) provokes condescension; a hipster with

crutches (Lindsey Alley) moves Warren to sneer she's a “30-year-old

yenta dressed up like the cast of Rent.” And when a dizzy hippie (the

very funny Alet Taylor) bops in with her yoga mat, the ladies are aghast

that she's barefoot. Still, between snipes, each looks at the others

and sighs, “How I'd love to be in her shoes.” The metaphor of footwear

for femmepowerment is staler than the olives at Carrie Bradshaw's fave

martini bar, but at least David Goldsmith and Wendy Perelman's

well-intentioned musical about the hair-pulling pressure to “have it

all” is blessed with a gifted cast, which Richard Israel directs with

energy and bite. The ensemble sings numbers about motherhood, marriage,

J-Date and downward-facing dog. It's all pleasant, but the show is held

back by the homogeneity of the songs, in both John Kavanaugh's music and

Gregory Nabours' musical direction, which takes five strong voices and

molds them all to the same Broadway bombast. The audience for the

musical already knows everything it aims to say; it's simply an excuse

to rally a gang of girlfriends for a night at the theater, which seems

to suit this production just fine. NoHo Arts Center, 11136 Magnolia

Blvd., N. Hlywd.; Thurs.-Sat., 8 p.m., Sun., 3 p.m., thru April 24.

(818) 508-7101, thenohoartscenter.com. (Amy Nicholson)

A HOUSE NOT MEANT TO STAND Empty butterscotch wrappers scattered on a cheap coffee table, an afghan in shades of brown clutching a grubby couch, an old Christmas-themed popcorn tin catching one of the ceiling's countless leaks — Misty Carlisle's prop design is so on-target, if she isn't from the South, she must have spent summers there. Yet her efforts, and Jeff McLaughlin's picture-perfect set, can't save the soul of this production of Tennessee Williams' tragicomedy. The premise is dyed-in-the-wool Williams: Hard-driving father Cornelius (Alan Blumenfeld) and his regressed-from-depression wife, Bella (Sandy Martin), arrive home from burying their gay son in Memphis. (“You encouraged him to design clothes [and] try 'em on,” Cornelius berates his wife.) Their youngest, kinda sneaky, kinda sweet son (Daniel Billet) is home (after losing another job) with a similarly out-of-work girlfriend (Virginia Newcomb). The play, Williams' last, isn't his best; soliloquies directed at the audience weaken the action and disrupt the script's flow. But in not clearly revealing the kind of seminal Williams-esque conflict between a deep well of despair and the near-instinctual impulse to hide anything unpleasant, director Simon Levy has ignored the desperate sadness here, turning the play into a carnival of caricatures. Fortunately, Lisa Richards, a cougar before the term even existed, soft-pedals her approach as a nosy neighbor, and her scene near the end with Bella is the first in the production that intrigues. The real shame, in fact, is that Martin's performance as the mentally clouded yet still feisty Bella is stranded in this production. Tennessee Williams always saved his best for his women, and Martin more than does him justice. (Rebecca Haithcoat). Thursdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 2 p.m. Continues through April 18, $25-$35; $18 students. Fountain Theatre, 5060 Fountain Ave., L.A., (323) 663-1525, fountaintheatre.com.

I GET KNOCKED DOWN . . . When writer-performer Evan McNamara first appears in this one-man show, he's wearing a T-shirt that reads “ARISE” and pointy elf ears. He is, he tells us, a member of an elf clan, and his sister, Raven, is a vampire who for years drained him of vitality. He then assumes the role of a Guardian Angel who revels in his own self-esteem. “God loves me,” he claims, “because I make heaven look so cool.” The elf tells about the woman he loved, hard-hearted Hannah, who married him and bore him two children, but then announced she'd been unfaithful from the start. We then meet Evan's other suffering alter egos: a prisoner shackled till he frees himself through an act of will, a martyr who embraces his pain, a scholar who alternates between raging against his fate and philosophic acceptance, a clown who wraps himself in a cloak of protective humor, and a hipster in stylish shades who doesn't contribute much to the story. McNamara is an appealing and energetic actor, but his bromidic ending is announced (self-knowledge is the key) rather than dramatized, so the show, though pleasant, seems both short (40 minutes) and slight. Director John Coppola might have been wise to insist on more substance. (Neal Weaver). Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 3 p.m. Continues through April 24, igetknockeddown.eventbrite.com. Studio C Artists, 6448 Santa Monica Blvd., L.A., (323) 988-1175.

JO WHO Thirty-something woman invites seven of her past loves to a church on the same day in hopes that one will propose, by Karen Maxwell. Sundays, 8 p.m. Continues through April 3. The Actors Collective, 916-A N. Formosa Ave., L.A., (323) 251-5076, theactorscollective.com.

JUMP/CUT Depicting the crushing debilitations of mind and spirit that are by-products of bipolar disorder is no easy task. Neena Beber's 2003 play makes a worthwhile effort to invoke compassion for those coping with the jarring highs and soul-destroying lows of the illness, but an overabundance of on-the-nose dialogue about the nature of depression gives way to tidily scripted outpourings of emotion that render the play a forced contrivance bereft of an essential resemblance to real life. Paul (Brett Mack) lets best buddy Dave (Michael Perl) crash on his couch, a living arrangement born of misguided but entirely plausible loyalty on Paul's part. Dave is, after all, an old friend in need, a young man who can't get his life on track due to the crippling effects of mental illness. Paul, a filmmaker whose nose is pressed firmly and admirably to the grindstone, has fun sharing the same space with Dave for a short while, until Paul meets Karen (Melissa Lugo), falls in love and soon finds himself ensnared in a love triangle. It turns out that Karen is more attracted to the romantic availability and neediness of a depressive than the unavailability of a go-getter. The narrative engine breaks down beyond repair when Paul and Karen decide to make Dave's depression the subject of a film project. Focus quickly gets split between romantic entanglements, the hardships of the creative process and serious mental illness. The acting is solid across the board and director Paul Millet keeps the pacing sharp and quick. (Amy Lyons). jumpcut2011.tix.com Thursdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m. Continues through March 26, jumpcut2011.tix.com. Arena Stage at Theater of Arts (formerly the Egyptian Arena Theater), 1625 N. Las Palmas Ave., L.A., (323) 595-4849.

Just Imagine: Tim Piper's John Lennon impersonation, including performances of Beatles hits and Lennon's solo work. Fridays, Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 3 p.m. Continues through April 24, (323) 960-4442. Hayworth Theatre, 2511 Wilshire Blvd., L.A., www.thehayworth.com.

KEEP IT CLEAN COMEDY Hosted by JC Coccoli. Mondays, 10:30 p.m., Free. 1739 Public House, 1739 N. Vermont Ave., L.A., (323) 663-1739.

KING LEAR Director Marianne Savell takes Shakespeare's foolish old king to the climes of 1850 Northern California where he meets True Grit during the Gold Rush, but the production squanders the potential of its own concept. If the opening scene concerns Lear subdividing his land among his daughters, and the ensuing avarice of two said daughters combines their greed with their father's folly, it seems almost negligent to ignore the Gold Rush, the elephant outside the imagined windows of Gary Lee Reed's saloon set. In a production in which the text has been slashed and changed willy-nilly, there's not even a visual wink to that historical, epic rush for treasure, and its myths that defined our corner of America. The cutting (this version clocks in at a fleeting two hours) severs some of the most emotionally substantive lines — such as France's (Montelle Harvey) defense of Lear's spurned daughter, Cordelia (a lovely performance by Tawny Mertes). It would appear that the purpose of the cutting was to focus on the plot, often at the expense of the ideas behind the plot. If the length and grandeur of King Lear is so daunting, perhaps they should have done a shorter play. If the goal of the production is to show how the play-ending invasion from France parallels the melodrama of spaghetti Westerns, that point landed — though to what purpose is unclear. It is nonetheless a well-recited and serviceable production. Bruce Ladd's Irish-brogued Lear belts through the travails of aging and suffering the reduction of his world, with more emotional dexterity than depth. His vigor defies much of the play's point — because the octogenarian character so obviously appears to be in his 60s. Steve Gustafson's John Wayne-ish Gloucester struts with some animal magnetism into his own despair. Nathan Bell's bastard Edmund wisely hangs the character's overt venality in the back of the closet, allowing the lines to do most of the work. And Richard Soto's Native American Kent is on the road to something interesting, stranded in an unexplored concept. (Steven Leigh Morris). Fridays, Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 2:30 p.m. Continues through April 4, $30; $25 seniors; $20 students. Actors Co-op, 1760 N. Gower St., L.A., (323) 462-8460.

THE L. RON HUBBARD GOLDEN AGE THEATRE Saturdays, 7:30 p.m., $10 ($5 online). The Golden Age Theatre, 7051 Hollywood Blvd., L.A., GoldenAgeTheatre.com.

GO LA RAZON BLINDADA (THE ARMORED REASON) La Razon Blindada (The Armored Reason): How does a prisoner survive without hope? Writer/director Aristides Vargas drew inspiration for this poignantly horrific black comedy from the experience of his brother, a political prisoner in Argentina during that country's military dictatorship. Confined in solitary, prisoners were permitted a brief respite on Sunday, when they could meet and talk, albeit while remaining seated and with their hands on the table. That setup provides the physical framework for this luminously surreal 80-minute one-act in which two incarcerated men come together to role-play — one calling himself De La Mancha (Jesus Castanos Chima), the other Panza (Arturo Diaz de Sandy). The actors remain seated throughout, navigating across the stage on wooden chairs with wheels. Within these loosely assumed personae, the pair frolic through a hallucinatory landscape, clowning their way through speculations about madness, sanity, heroism and human bonding, and conjuring an elaborate fantasy of regency over an island that brilliantly mocks the nature of power. In the end, the aim of the game is survival — not as rational beings, because reality would be too painful, but as madmen whose lunacy frees them from the shame of powerlessness. The performances are consummate and the staging, as eloquent as the text, features a videographed landscape over which their sunken shadows pass, and Faure's Elegie for Violoncello and Orchestra to underscore the pathos. (Deborah Klugman). Saturdays, 8 p.m. Continues through March 26. 24th Street Theater, 1117 W. 24th St., L.A., (800) 838-3006, www.brownpapertickets.org.

GO LOVE SUCKS In traditional French farce, though everybody determinedly pursues sex, their efforts are constantly thwarted and conventional morality triumphs by default. Here, successfully inverting that formula, writer-director Rob Mersola sets his play in New York's Lower East Side, and populates it with a randy bunch of characters who look for love in all the wrong places, and eagerly indulge in sex wherever it lurks, in beds, bars, backseats or bathroom stalls. Pretty Josie (Sadie Alexandru) is obsessed with unreliable, opportunistic but well-endowed Harlan (Michael Alperin). Her gay roommate Calvin (Joshua Bitton) goes in for frequent anonymous sex; stockbroker Charlie (Daniel Ponickly) gives BJs in public restrooms, when he isn't making wedding plans with his fiancée (Jeni Verdon); and lecherous faux-gypsy seducer Giuseppi (Anil Kumar) ruthlessly pursues every woman who crosses his path. In the course of 48 hours, each of them has a fling with (at least) two of the others, till they all come together for a hilarious series of revelations and confrontations. Mersola hones his amiably grungy plot into a surprisingly elegant roundelay, and stages it with verve. All five actors wield solid comic skills, acquitting themselves with style on Burris Jakes' handsome, flexible unit set. (Neal Weaver). Fridays, 8 p.m.; Saturdays, 8 & 10:30 p.m.; Sundays, 7 p.m. Continues through April 11, LoveSucksPlay.com. Coast Playhouse, 8325 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood.

MAGIC STRINGS Bob Baker's marionette variety revue, featuring puppet horses on a merry-go-round, an opera diva on roller skates, a “Day at the Circus,” and an all-American grand finale. Saturdays, Sundays, 2:30 p.m.; Tuesdays-Fridays, 10:30 a.m. Bob Baker Marionette Theater, 1345 W. First St., L.A., (213) 250-9995, www.bobbakermarionettes.com.

MEXICAN HISTORY 101 Attempting to resurrect the carpa style of theater (loosely, a Mexican vaudeville), playwright and director Rubén Amavizca-Murúa puts hundreds of years of history on parade in a satirical and very Brechtian way. The frame for all this is a grandfather (José de Jesús Martínez) educating his grandson Ernesto (Alex Ángeles), who reveals that he neither knows nor cares much for his heritage. The vignettes, beginning in Aztec times and running all the way through the 20th century, include Aztec princesses with prickly-pear iPads, a talk show featuring Moctezuma, Benito Juárez as the Mexican Statue of Liberty, and of course the ubiquitous presence of “Tia Juana's tacos,” which are freely offered and eaten, despite their debilitating digestive effects. The preponderance of toilet humor, sex jokes, buffoonishly gay characters and randomly inserted anachronistic pop culture references detract from the political themes, which are occasionally affecting. It's possible that, as with telenovelas, the humor of the genre is lost in translation (and the Spanish asides garner laughs from the largely Latino audience), but the piece nonetheless feels overly broad and underdeveloped. The cornucopia of colorful costumes — courtesy of Jeanette Godoy, Mariana Marroquín and Apolinar Delgadillo — is a grand sight, but Amavizca-Murúa's haphazard blocking, on the already large stage, circumvents an acting style that plays best in intimate spaces. (Mayank Keshaviah). Fridays, Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 6 p.m. Continues through March 27. Frida Kahlo Theater, 2332 W. Fourth St., L.A., (213) 382-8133, fridakahlotheater.org.

NEW REVIEW GO THE NEXT FAIRY TALE

Photo by Ronn Jones

Writer-composer

Brian Pugach uses a fractured fairy tale to deliver a message of

tolerance and acceptance. Four Fairy Godmothers assemble, under the

direction of their den mother/director Minerva (a formidable Gina

Torrecilla), to create a new fairy tale. The Magic Mirror (campy and

flouncy Charls Sedgwick Hall) announces that the hero of the new tale is

to be Prince Copernicus (sweetly sappy Christopher Maikish), who

doesn't believe in fighting: His weapons are smiles and hugs. When

homophobic Minerva learns that Copernicus' true love is another male,

Prince Helio (Patrick Gomez), she's appalled and determined to foil

their match, lest the world's children be corrupted by a gay fairy tale.

She assigns him Hazel (Rachel Genevieve), the most incompetent of the

fairy godmothers, to ensure his failure and employs magic spells

(including a poisoned apple) to stop him. Director Michael A. Shepperd

stages Pugach's goofy musical with an engaging faux naivete, ably

assisted by a lively ensemble and richly enhanced by Raffel Sarabia's

whimsical fairy-tale costumes. Celebration Theatre, 7051B Santa Monica

Blvd., Hlywd.; Thurs.-Sat., 8 p.m., Sun., 3 p.m., thru April 24. (323)

957-1884, celebrationtheatre.com. (Neal Weaver)

GO 100 DAYS The title of Weiko Lin's two-character play is derived from an old Taiwanese Buddhist tradition, which dictates that when the parent of an unmarried child passes away, the child must find a spouse within 100 days in order for the spirit of the deceased to transition peacefully. But matrimony is the last thing on the mind of Will (Eric Martig), who revels in his debauched, hand-to-mouth existence as a traveling comedian on the college circuit, where there is a steady supply of booze and female company. But for Miki (Joy Howard) — Will's love of 15 years removed — life is nothing but painful drudgery, made all the more so by old emotional wounds, an unhappy marriage, middle-class monotony and her fear of having children. When Will attends a funeral service for his mother, he encounters a family friend who sets in motion a chain of events that eventually brings Miki and Will together again, allowing another chapter of their relationship to play out. Notwithstanding a somewhat tedious Act 2 involving an overcooked night of drinking and reminiscing, there is much that is engaging. Lin's script bristles with energy and humor, and he invests these characters with a simple, captivating humanity. The cast delivers high-quality performances, under Brett Erickson's direction. (Lovell Estell III). LOFTensemble.com Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 7 p.m. Continues through March 20, (213) 680-0392, LOFTensemble.com. Loft Ensemble, 929 E. Second St., No. 105, L.A., www.loftensemble.com.

ONE NIGHT TO DIE FOR Scott Dittman directs two comedies in one night, Audience, by Michael Frayn, and Tom Stoppard's The Real Inspector Hound. Fridays, Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 6 p.m. Continues through March 21, $20; $18 students/seniors. Knightsbridge Theater, 1944 Riverside Dr., L.A., (323) 667-0955, knightsbridgetheatre.com.

PLAY DATES Sam Wolfson's offbeat love story. Thursdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 7 p.m. Continues through April 17, (323) 960-7784, plays411.com/playdates. Theatre Asylum, 6320 Santa Monica Blvd., L.A..

PROOF David Auburn's story of a mathematician's daughter. Tuesdays-Thursdays, 8 p.m. Continues through March 24. Open Fist Theatre, 6209 Santa Monica Blvd., L.A., (323) 882-6912, www.openfist.org.

SERIAL KILLERS Late-night serialized stories, voted on by the audience to determine which ones continue. Starting March 19, Saturdays, 11 p.m. Continues through April 23. Sacred Fools Theater, 660 N. Heliotrope Dr., L.A., (310) 281-8337, sacredfools.org.

GO THE SONNETEER Nick Salamone's play examines the ways in which homophobia, guilt, self-delusion and hypocrisy cause the gradual disintegration of the Cardamones, a first-generation Italian-American family. Louie Cordero (Paul Haitkin), his younger brother, Michael (Ray Oriel), and their friend Joey (Ed Martin) go off to serve in World War II. Michael and Joey, serving in France, secretly become lovers. After the war, Louie marries his sweetheart, Livvy (Sandra Purpuro), but he also discovers the relationship between Michael and Joey, and his virulent homophobia is aroused. Pressured by salty, bossy older sister Vita (Cynthia Gravinese), who wants to save him for middle-class respectability, Michael marries a sweetly naïve hospital nurse, Ella (Victoria Hoffman), whom he'd like to love, but doesn't. Meanwhile, Livvy, desolate over Louie's death, writes sonnets to relieve her pain. Director Jon Lawrence Rivera sensitively explores the rich characters and understated subtleties of Salamone's play, with fine assistance from his able and faithful cast. Haitkin, in particular, scores as both homophobic Louie and his scholarly pro-gay son. (Neal Weaver). Fridays, Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 7 p.m. Continues through April 3. Davidson Valentini Theatre, 1125 N. McCadden Pl., L.A., (323) 860-7300, www.lagaycenter.org.

GO RE-ANIMATOR: THE MUSICAL is based on Stuart Gordon's 1985 film,  and Gordon is on hand to direct the new musical. The centerpiece is a love story (of course) that's a joke on every love story ever written. Idealistic young hospital intern Dan Cain (Chris L. McKenna) has a poor time accepting the death of patients. Standing by a gurney, over the body of a woman who has flatlined, Dan administers CPR in vain, prodding her with electro pads, until the chorus of medics has to sing, “She's dead, Dan/Get it through your head, Dan.” His distress over the cessation of life becomes an obsession that threatens his impending marriage to beautiful Meg Halsey (Rachel Avery), daughter of the local university's dean (George Wendt). Big Dean Halsey is an amiable, conservative fellow who's accepting of Dan as a potential son-in-law, despite his lack of old-money social credentials. Well, amiable until he's accidentally murdered, as he later interrupts a gooey romantic interlude between Meg and Dan by crashing through the door as a psychotic zombie. The romance is wrapped around a conflict between dueling scientists: self-proclaimed plagiarist Dr. Hill (Jesse Merlin, in a mop wig, whose pinched facial expressions would creep out the most openhearted social worker) and a newcomer to Hill's lab, Herbert West (Graham Skipper, possessing the salty charm — and costume — of an embittered undertaker). While Hill drools over Meg, West rents a room from Dan (since Meg won't move in until they're wed). When the romantic couple's pet cat disappears, then ghoulishly reappears post-mortem via West's experiments (props by Jeff Rack), Dan enters a Faust-like partnership with West, seeing the potential fulfillment of his God-defying desire to harness the science of immortality. Mark Nutter's music and very witty lyrics (recalling songs by Tom Lehrer) careen from modern opera to light opera, from melodramatic wailing to — when the story gets really gruesome — Gilbert and Sullivan-style patter songs. The special effects (by Tony Doublin, John Naulin, John Buechler, Tom Devlin and Greg McDougall), such as a body decapitated with a shovel and intestines unstrung from a corpse, are about as good as it gets — gory without being so naturalistic as to bypass parody. The keys to this kingdom, however, are the combination of the brilliant comic ensemble and Gordon's pristine craftsmanship as a director, supplemented by Jeff Ravitz's lighting and musical director/arranger Peter Adams' building of suspense. Adams performs the score on a synthesizer tucked into the side of the hall, creating the slightly cheesy ambiance that's the life force of Grand Guignol. (Steven Leigh Morris) (800) 595-4849. Steve Allen Theater, at the Center for Inquiry-West, 4773 Hollywood Blvd., L.A.. Fridays-Sundays, 8 p.m. Continues through May 29

STREEP TEASE Meryl's famous monologues get the treatment by some top comic actors. Saturdays, 8 p.m. Bang, 457 N. Fairfax Ave., L.A., (323) 653-6886, www.bangstudio.com.

GO THE SUNSET LIMITED John Perrin Flynn's top-notch staging of Cormac McCarthy's 1996 two-character play shows the author is a gifted dramatist as well as a superb novelist. A life-and-death struggle emerges in the dingy apartment of an ex-con named Black (Tucker Smallwood), who has just rescued White (Ron Bottitta) from a suicide leap off a subway platform. That their names are racial signifiers is just one of the dynamics McCarthy uses to mine the ironies in this simple scenario. Black is poor, uneducated and a committed man of faith, an inner-city Good Samaritan whose redemption came in prison and who unwaveringly believes in the value of life and God's grace. White is a hyper-rationalist, a successful university professor and defiant atheist who is weighted down with crushing despair and hopelessness. It's a high-stakes intervention where both men state their cases with unbridled passion and eloquence engendering a back-and-forth shift of empathies, and one never gets the sense of an immutable moral center or of merely listening to lectures. McCarthy, who is noted for his sparse dialogue and powerful imagery, exhibits an uncanny ear for ghetto argot, but just as nimbly utilizes the idiom of the academic. When, at the end, White erupts and expresses a weltanschauung of the darkest hue, one is reminded of Nietzsche's remark about staring into the abyss. Complementing Flynn's fine direction are the equally superb performances. (Lovell Estell III). Saturdays, 5 p.m.; Sundays, 7 p.m.; Mondays, 8 p.m. Continues through March 27. Theatre/Theater, 5041 Pico Blvd., L.A., (323) 422-6361, www.theatretheater.net.

TEN-MINUTE PLAY FESTIVAL From the Circle X Theatre Co. Writers' Group, nine short plays about love and sex. For tickets and more info please visit www.circlextheatre.org. Fridays, Saturdays, 8 p.m. Continues through March 27, $10. Atwater Village Theatre, 3269 Casitas Ave., L.A., (213) 368-9552.

TRIO

Photo by Ed Krieger

Israela

Margalit's romantic drama about Robert Schumann, Clara Schumann and a

young Johannes Brahms. Fridays, Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 7 p.m.

Continues through April 10, (323) 960-4412, plays411.com/trio. Lounge Theatre, 6201 Santa Monica Blvd., L.A.. See Stage feature

VIOLATORS WILL BE VIOLATED Casey Smith's solo mime show. circlextheatre.org Fridays, Saturdays, 10:30 p.m. Continues through March 19, (323) 644-1929, circlextheatre.org. Atwater Village Theatre, 3269 Casitas Ave., L.A..

WISH I HAD A SYLVIA PLATH Rogue Machine presents Edward Anthony's comedy about tragedy. Fridays, Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 7 p.m.; Thursdays, 8 p.m. Continues through April 17, (855) 585-5185, roguemachinetheatre.com. Lounge Theatre, 6201 Santa Monica Blvd., L.A..

WOMEN IN SHORTS Performed by Joanna Miles and Louise Davis, this sextet of short plays by different writers and directors rarely rises above workshop standard. The setting for all is New York's Central Park. By far the most involving is “Magic Rabbit,” written by John Fazakerley and directed by Robert Burgos. It's an encounter between a homeless woman (Miles) and the wife of an infamous embezzler (Davis) whose apartment building is currently besieged by the press (the allusion to Ruth Madoff seems obvious). Gradually it comes to light that the homeless woman also was once a person of privilege, and that the now-hounded matron once worked for her husband. The play's ironic message comes across in the wealthy woman's dawning recognition of the humanity she shares with this shabby person she initially scorns. Jim McGinn's “Divorces R Us” unwinds like a comedy sketch with a predictable twist; under Bennett Cohon's direction, Davis plays a dissatisfied housewife, with Miles a divorce counselor who advises her on how to squeeze the most from her husband. In “Sisters,” by Gloria Goldsmith, directed by Judy Chaikin, a fiscally responsible woman (Miles) clashes with her profligate spending sister, who cons money from others. Writer Tom Baum's “The Great Outdoors,” directed by Asaad Kelada, presents a conflict between a reclusive widow (Miles) and her exasperated, resentful daughter (Davis). In “Park Strangers,” by Brian Connors, directed by T.J. Casanova, the performers play two actors in a commercial for a vaginal itch product. In need of pruning, “Ladies of the State,” by Miles Brandman, directed by Matthew Reilly, is set pre-World War I; it depicts an anxious mother (Davis) pleading in vain with a well-connected acquaintance (Miles) to help get her son exempted from the draft. In general, excepting small character adjustments, the performances in each piece evoke a sameness and little directorial creativity. Much of the writing comes off like an exercise, with varying success. (Deborah Klugman). Fridays, Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 3 p.m. Continues through March 20, (800) 838-3006, brownpapertickets.com/event/143986. Working Stage Theater, 1516 N. Gardner St., L.A., 

GO THE WOODPECKER In playwright Samuel Brett Williams' angry drama of despair, we are introduced to a coterie of tragic characters who virtually line up to debase themselves and turn a potentially pleasant existence into a horror show. Idealistic young Jimmy (Brian Norris) loathes his family life: He's a college dropout who can't find a job and spends his days snorting glue rather than face his miserable existence in the trailer home he shares with his parents. Mom Martha (Tamara Zook) dreamed of being a singer but now lives in a pill-stoked daze, while abusive dad Harold (Mark Withers), in a wheelchair due to a long-ago accident, is so suffused with bitterness, his insane rages frequently threaten to spill over into incoherence. Jimmy pins his hopes for the future on joining the Army, which he believes will turn him into the hero he has always dreamed of being. However, when he arrives in Iraq, events don't turn out as expected. Williams' play so piles on the brutality, bitterness and rage that the piece occasionally threatens to short-circuit into camp. Still, in director Jon Cohn's darkly moody staging, the drama's sense of existential rage is urgent and evocative, while its ferocious emotional charge outweighs the contrived plotting. Norris offers a particularly strong and moving performance as the increasingly tortured son, almost appearing to age and become hollow before our eyes. Compelling turns also are offered by Zook's spacey white-trash mother and by Withers' almost-too-monstrous dad. A Mutineer Theatre Company production. (Paul Birchall). Fridays, Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 7 p.m. Continues through April 3, (323) 871-5826, mutineertheatre.com. Studio/Stage, 520 N. Western Ave., L.A., studio-stage.com.

NEW REVIEW GO THE YOUNG MAN FROM ATLANTA

Photo by Jonathan Vandiveer

Hollywood

has trained us well: Midway through Horton Foote's Pulitzer

Prize-winning play, your mind is racing ahead, tugging at a loose thread

in the plotline, guessing what twist lies underneath. But Foote's

storytelling style is like a lazy Southern Sunday afternoon spent on the

front porch: He lays the play's cards on the table right from the

start, then sits back and lets its stories draw you in like the

mesmerizing back-and-forth of a rocking chair. Will Kidder (Dick DeCoit)

and his wife, Lily Dale (Eileen Barnett), have just settled into a

grand new house in Houston, mostly in an effort to avoid painful

reminders of their only son, who recently drowned. The title character,

their son's roommate who's never seen in the play, is a boogeyman.

Though a comfort to Lily Dale, Will squeezes his eyes tight against his

existence, hoping he'll just go away. The play's themes are proposed so

subtly — aging (“Thirty-eight years … where'd they go?” Will asks),

race relations (one of Lily Dale's old maids, played by Cyndi Martino,

smiles warmly, “You haven't changed a bit! And look at me, wore out from

cookin' in others' kitchens”), religion, homosexuality, generational

conflict, gender roles — that you only feel their full impact upon

later reflection. Director August Viverito wisely allows the play's

inaction to stand, but his finest decision was casting DeCoit to lead

the cast. In less capable hands, Foote's chunks of text easily could

bore an audience; but as DeCoit navigates them, verve giving way to

slumped shoulders, the crumbling descent of Will's life is just as

riveting as it is heartbreaking. The Production Company at the Lex

Theatre, 6760 Lexington Ave., Hlywd.; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m., Sun., 3 p.m.,

thru April 22 (no perf. March 13). (800) 838-3006. (Rebecca Haithcoat)

CONTINUING PERFORMANCES IN SMALLER THEATERS SITUATED IN THE VALLEYS

GO THE ADVENTURES OF PINOCCHIO Like the 1883 Italian novel from which it's adapted, Lee Hall's play about a willful marionette is not a sunny tale. Skillfully staged by director Stephen Rothman, this commedia dell'arte piece follows the random adventures of a self-centered puppet named Pinocchio (Amber Zion, voiced by Darrin Revitz) who is robbed, tricked, beaten and left for dead (among other misfortunes) before being happily reunited with his elderly father, Geppetto (Matthew Henerson, signed by Colin O'Brien-Lux). Unlike the Disney version, this Pinocchio is no dreamer; he's given to sulking, throwing tantrums and sometimes acting with malice — like answering a Cricket's (Vae) advice by killing the insect with a mallet. Nineteenth-century novelist Carlo Collodi, who wrote the original, imbued his work with an implied middle-class admonishment to children: Work hard and go to school. Hall's adaptation is well-grounded in the original, so don't come expecting profound political allegory or sizzling social satire. (One scene relates to controversy within the deaf community about the pressures of learning to speak versus communicating with sign language.) Yet the production offers an abundance of eye-catching production values and a fine ensemble gifted in the art of physical comedy. Designer Evan Bartoletti's set frames the show with a fairy tale magic, further enhanced by Joe Cerqua's sound and original music and by the collective zaniness of Ann Closs-Farley's costumes, Carol F. Doran's makeup and wigs and Lisa Lechuga's specialty hats. Henerson's booming but kindly papa and James Royce Edwards as the evil ringmaster give standout performances. (Deborah Klugman). Thursdays, Fridays, 8 p.m.; Saturdays, 2 & 8 p.m.; Sundays, 2 p.m.; Sat., March 26, 8 p.m. Continues through March 27, Sold out. Deaf West Theatre, 5112 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood, (818) 762-2998.

BAR TALK Jay Parker's comedy set in a local bar. Fridays, 8 p.m.; Saturdays, 2 & 8 p.m.; Sundays, 2 p.m., lizardtheater.com. Lizard Theater, 112 W. Main St., Alhambra, (626) 457-5293, www.lizardtheater.com.

GO THE BIRTHDAY BOYS Stop me if you've heard this one: Three U.S. Marines walk into an Iraqi storage room. OK, they don't walk. They get dragged into it. Point being, there are three of them, and they're together in this room. “Seems a bit dark and serious a scenario for a punch line,” you think to yourself, but you would be wrong, because Aaron Kozak, who won the “Fringe First” award at last year's Hollywood Fringe Festival for this play, makes it much funnier than you would expect. Without being disrespectful to the gravity of military service or the war in Iraq, Kozak finds dark humor in the humanity of three Marines –privates Chester Gullette (Gregory Crafts), Lance Tyler (Sean Fitzgerald) and Colin Carney (Jim Martyka) — who have been captured from Al Asad air base by members of the Mahdi Militia. All three are bound hand and foot with duct tape and blindfolded, which limits their interactions but generates some solid physical comedy, such as when Lance tries to fight Colin and they end up writhing around like angry inchworms. Director Jacob Smith's spot-on timing effectively modulates transitions from lighter discussions of women and home lives to darker topics such as war and impending doom. Fitzgerald, as the most intense and combative of the three, genuinely makes us dislike him at times; Martyka, though quiet for long spells, believably exudes shame for attempting to abandon his brothers; Crafts, as the most mature and levelheaded of the men, pleasantly subverts the stereotypical Marine. And to top it all off, there's an unexpected twist that takes the comedy to a whole new level. A Theatre Unleashed production. (Mayank Keshaviah). Fridays, Saturdays, 8 p.m. Continues through April 2, (818) 849-4039, theatreunleashed.com. NoHo Stages, 4934 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood, noho-stages.us.

BROTHERS GRIMM'S SHUDDER Zombie Joe's Underground's adaptation of the Grimm fairy tale “The Story of the Youth Who Went Forth to Learn What Fear Was.” Fridays, 11 p.m. Continues through March 25. ZJU Theater Group, 4850 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood, (818) 202-4120, zombiejoes.com.

EVERYBODY DIES IN THE END Late-night comedy one-acts by Theatre Unleashed. Fridays, Saturdays, 10:15 p.m. Continues through March 25, theatreunleashed.com. NoHo Stages, 4934 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood, noho-stages.us.

FERDINAND! Vaclav Havel's 1975 pair of one-act plays. Fridays, Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 1 & 6 p.m. Continues through April 3, brownpapertickets.com/event/157750. Actors Circle Theatre, 7313 Santa Monica Blvd., L.A., (323) 882-8043, actorscircle.net.

FIREHOUSE Unlike police officers, who are so often feared or mistrusted, firefighters almost always engage the appreciation and respect of the people they serve. Playwright Pedro Antonio Garcia's message-minded melodrama jump-starts around the community's perceived betrayal of that covenant, and the pressure brought to bear upon a firefighter named Perry (Kamar de los Reyes) to make a bogus choice between loyalty to his unit and loyalty to his Puerto Rican ethnic group. A 20-year department vet, Perry is on the cusp of retirement when a crisis erupts at the South Bronx firehouse after a colleague named Boyle (Gerald Downey) rescues another firefighter from a burning building but leaves behind a 12-year-old child. Boyle steadfastly maintains he didn't see the girl for the smoke, but his credibility is open to question — in no small part because of his personal history as a former cop who was tried and acquitted for shooting an unarmed civilian. Whereas the community, represented here by Perry's fiancée, Aida (Jossara Jinaro), a criminal defense attorney, is up in arms, most of Boyle's buddies give him the benefit of the doubt and pressure Perry to do the same. Garcia gleaned aspects of his story from real-life headlines in this effort to offer up an intrepid examination of how our native prejudices cloud our judgment. Too often, however, the characters seem mere profanity-riddled mouthpieces for one side or another's point of view, a problem exacerbated by Bryan Rasmussen's overheated direction. Most discrepant is Jinaro's counselor-at-law, unconvincing as a perspicacious professional not only by virtue of her mini-skirted and otherwise revealing attire but in her strident insistence that Perry take her side for personal reasons rather than principled ones. (Deborah Klugman). theatermania.com Fridays, 8 p.m. Continues through April 29, (323) 822-7898, theatermania.com. Whitefire Theater, 13500 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks.

IT'S JUST SEX Jeff Gould's comedy takes the underpinnings of sexual fantasy, fidelity and money and puts all of those nuances onstage in a contemporary comedy about three married couples. The wife-swapping plot is straight out of Hugh Hefner's pad, circa 1975. That the play resonates today, in the ashes of the sexual revolution, is one indication of how little has changed, despite how much has changed. (Steven Leigh Morris). Fridays, Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 7:30 p.m. Two Roads Theater, 4348 Tujunga Ave., Studio City, (818) 762-2272, www.tworoadsgallery.com.

A MIXED TAPE Eric Edwards' retrospective of a lonely guy's love life. amixedtape.com Sundays, 8 p.m. Continues through March 27, amixedtape.com. Playhouse West Repertory Theater, 10634 Magnolia Blvd., North Hollywood, (818) 332-3101.

GO OEDIPUS THE TYRANT In Jamey Hecht's poetical, lucid translation of Sophocles classic, director Thomas Bigley opts for a staid togas-and-sandals approach, with Jessica Pasternak's silky earth-tone costumes. A female chorus recites in unison Sophocles' meditations on the action, sometimes performing to Taylor Fisher's choreography of arms flung from torsos simultaneously, or the percussive effect of punctuating a line with a group stamp of the foot or slap of the palm. Combine that with Nicholas Neidorf's subtly brooding sound design and original compositions, plus a performance style that gets to the translation's formality with an emotional spontaneity and truthfulness, and what transpires is absorbing. This is remarkable, given the dangers lurking in the artifice — the symmetry of Bigley's staging and Fisher's art design, the inherent possibilities of overacting and self-parody. These dangers almost never become manifest to choke this earnest endeavor. In the title role, the youthful Charles Pasternak makes for a sometimes relaxed, sometimes tempestuous monarch, with a charm that makes it apparent how he could have wandered into Thebes after a road-rage incident and stolen the heart of Queen Jocasta (the powerful Kate O'Toole). Dylan Vigus has a thunderous presence as the Priest who opens the play, and Hecht cuts plausible distinctions between his jaded Teiresias and his callow Messenger. The strongest aspect, which should please translator Hecht no end, is the commanding articulation of the poetical prose. (Steven Leigh Morris). Fridays, Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 2 p.m. Continues through March 20, (818) 325-2055, brownpapertickets.com/event/149704. Sherry Theatre, 11052 Magnolia Blvd., North Hollywood.

NEW REVIEW OH, MOMMA & OBAMA

Photo by Dove Huntley

Penned

by Derek Reid, Nicholas Zill and Kenneth McLeod, this send-up of Barack

Obama's female-infested household is fraught with familiar grievances

and worn-out jokes, stumbling blocks that prevent the material from

growing a serious pair of satirical legs. Barack Obama's (Derek Jeremiah

Reid) mother-in-law, Marian Robinson (Lakendra Tookes), meddles in

matters of state and thinks she knows best when it comes to her

granddaughters, Malia (Alexis Matthews) and Sasha (Nay Nay Kirby). Her

daughter, Michelle (Constance Reese), tries and fails to keep the peace

between hubby and mom. When Marian gets busted snooping through

classified documents, the commander in chief decides enough is enough

and sends her to Guantanamo Bay. Meanwhile, Malia and Sasha are up to no

good. Reid's Obama parody is the best thing about the production —

he's spot-on vocally and physically. Tookes comes out of the gate with

an over-the-top shrillness that never ceases and quickly grows tiresome.

A standout of the supporting cast is Natascha Corrigan as Sarah Palin,

but the material's trite ring (Sarah Palin is stupid! Sarah Palin talks

funny! Sarah Palin is not to be taken seriously!) hinders her. Bill

O'Reilly (Robb Wolford), Bill Clinton (Phillip Wilburn) and George W.

Bush (Wolford) all appear, but nothing new or striking is revealed about

any of them. Piped in music by Howard Bennett and the Rock 'n' Ridicule

Band feels canned and flat; Laura Pinho's choreography is clumsy. A TV

intermittently broadcasts the real-life people being impersonated

onstage, a puzzling device that smacks of mistrust of the audience.

Fremont Centre Theatre, 1000 Fremont Ave., South Pasadena; Fri.-Sat., 8

p.m.; Sun., 3 p.m.; thru May 1. (866) 811-4111. (Amy Lyons)

OUR TOWN Thornton Wilder's chronicle of life in Grover's Corners, New Hampshire, 1901 to 1913. Fridays, Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 2:30 p.m. Continues through April 16. Sierra Madre Playhouse, 87 W. Sierra Madre Blvd., Sierra Madre, (626) 355-4318, sierramadreplayhouse.org.

THE REVENANTS Not only do the protagonists in this zombie play break the age-old cautionary rule (in zombie-prone regions) of avoiding the basement at all costs, but they manage to hunker down below ground with two members of the rapidly multiplying undead population. Thus, a long and tediously unfolding chain of events is set in motion by characters entirely lacking sound decision-making skills. All of this stupidity would be fine were it a remotely intelligent commentary on human folly, but nothing in Scott T. Barsotti's text resembles satire or keen irony. Instead, we witness the agonizingly uninteresting plight of Gary (Carl Bradley Anderson) and Karen (Anne Westcott), a pair of old friends whose respective spouses, Molly (Lara Fisher) and Joseph (Rafael Zubizarreta Jr.), have turned zombie. While the uninfected couple make feeble attempts to devise a plan of action, they chain Molly and Joseph to the wall. For the play's duration, Molly and Joseph halfheartedly strain against their bindings while Gary and Karen talk about old times, argue over the extent to which their spouses are lost and question their marriages. There isn't a nail-biting moment in sight here; the constant presence of the zombies creates a tolerance factor that renders them about as threatening as a pair of uncouth houseguests unaware of the late hour. Because Gary and Karen are entirely unremarkable characters, the stakes are further purged. If the goal is to make us root for the zombies (think George Romero's smirk at rabid consumerism in the shopping-mall setting of Dawn of the Dead), then the failure is one of narrative scope: Focusing on four characters in a static setting is no way to build an audience of gleeful zombie sympathizers. (Amy Lyons). Fridays, Saturdays, 8 p.m. Continues through March 19, thevisceralcompany.com. Whitmore-Lindley Theatre Center, 11006 Magnolia Blvd., North Hollywood.

GO SCHMUTIZIGEN DEUTSCHE KABARETT This latest, late-night creation from sardonic, surrealist director-choreographer Amanda Marquardt is so straightforward and simple in its concept and execution that it's a wonder no one thought of it before. Take the Kander & Ebb musical classic Cabaret, jettison the treacly and preachy Joe Masteroff book, and stage the results as a brisk and breezy, melodrama-free evening of simulated Weimar nightclub entertainment. The schmutzigen is provided by the indecently flamboyant Luke Wright, who, from opener “Willkommen” through his solo on “I Don't Care Much” to the show's finale, vamps his way through an endless string of double entendres to stake a creditable claim to the role of MC that made Broadway stars of Joel Grey and Alan Cumming. Marquardt herself appears as Sally Bowles (replete with Liza-like false eyelashes), displaying an appealing set of pipes on such signature numbers as “Don't Tell Mama,” “Cabaret” and “Mein Herr.” Wright returns (wearing little more than an uncredited but campy pair of tuxedo briefs) with chorines Skye Noel (also credited as dance captain and co-choreographer) and Eva Ganelis, as the trio strut their comic stuff in “Two Ladies.” But, you might ask, if there's no book, what about the musical's politics — and what does that have to do with us? Relax. Marquardt gets in her licks, and puts the Deutsche Kabarett, political-satire bite back into Cabaret with “High Chancellor,” a hilarious, show-stealing strip number, with Jonica Patella in Hitler drag, bumping, grinding and goose-stepping to the Nazi march “Erika.” (Bill Raden). Saturdays, 11 p.m.; Fridays, 11 p.m. Continues through April 22. ZJU Theater Group, 4850 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood, (818) 202-4120, zombiejoes.com.

SHADOW OF THE RAVEN Duffy Hudson is Edgar Allan Poe. Sundays, 7 p.m. Continues through April 3. ZJU Theater Group, 4850 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood, (818) 202-4120, zombiejoes.com.

NEW REVIEW GO 'TIL DEATH DO US PART: LATE

NITE CATECHISM 3 First there was The Flying Nun, then Nunsense (and its

sequels), then Sister Act (and its sequels), and now the latest in the

series of Late Nite Catechism shows from the gently hilarious Maripat

Donovan. Bottom line: Nuns are funny. In this iteration of the

long-running Chicago-based original, the focus is on two sacraments:

Marriage and the Blessing of the Sick. That is, if you can call a

floodlight “focused.” While Donovan incorporates pre-written material,

weaving it seamlessly into her ad-libbing, the largest laughs are

generated from her interactions with the audience. From berating

latecomers (like a good Catholic school teacher), to interviewing

married couples about their personal stories, to a “Catholic Q&A”

session, and finally inviting two couples on stage to play the

“Compatibility Game,” Donovan is nimble, quick-witted and incredibly

engaging. With the house lights on during the performance, she lets few

escape, but even those who became the inadvertent targets of her jokes

can't stop smiling. Incorporating pop-cultural references in lines like,

“You can learn a lot about world religions from South Park” and

“There's a famous philosopher I follow … Beyoncé,” Donovan ensures the

material stays current. Co-writer and director Marc Silvia keeps

Donovan puttering about the stage in a purposeful way, and the set

pieces used — especially the tinsel-festooned backdrop for the

“Compatibility Game” — are authentically detailed. The snippets from

Herb Alpert's “Spanish Flea” played during the game are a nice finishing

touch to a piece that will bless your evening with laughter, whether

you're Catholic or not. Carrie Hamilton Theatre at the Pasadena

Playhouse, 39 S. El Molino Ave., Pasadena; Thurs.-Sat., 7:30 p.m., Sun.,

5 p.m., thru April 3. (626) 356-7529, PasadenaPlayhouse.org. A Donovan Entertainment production. (Mayank Keshaviah)

TREASURE ISLAND June Chandler's Fairy Tale Theatre presents Steve and Kathy Hotchner's audience-participatory pirate tale. Saturdays, 11 a.m. Continues through April 16. Sierra Madre Playhouse, 87 W. Sierra Madre Blvd., Sierra Madre, (626) 355-4318, sierramadreplayhouse.org.

THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE Rachel Sheinkin and William Finn's spelling-bee musical. Fridays, Saturdays, 7 p.m.; Sundays, 2 p.m. Continues through March 27, ctgsc.org. Eclectic Company Theatre, 5312 Laurel Canyon Blvd., Valley Village, (818) 508-3003, eclecticcompanytheatre.org.

CONTINUING PERFORMANCES IN SMALLER THEATERS SITUATED ON THE WESTSIDE AND IN BEACH TOWNS

BROKEN GLASS Elina de Santos directs this Arthur Miller play, set in late 1930s Brooklyn. Thursdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 2 p.m. Continues through April 18, $27-$30; students $20, (323) 821-2449. Pico Playhouse, 10508 W. Pico Blvd., L.A., picoplayhouse.com.

GO HOBOKEN TO HOLLYWOOD: A JOURNEY THROUGH THE GREAT AMERICAN SONGBOOK The big-band show in this musical (book by Luca Ellis, Paul Litteral and Jeremy Aldridge) is staged as a behind-the-scenes live taping of a late-1960s television special with a star identified in the program only as “The Crooner.” James Thompson's authentic set comes with sound booth, TV cameras, microphones, lighting, a spacious bandstand and stage, overhead video screens and neon applause signs. Adding to the realism is lots of backstage banter, numerous gaffes, miscues and retakes, and some well-placed comedy and drama played out between director Dwight (Al Bernstein) and his overworked and underappreciated assistant Andy (Pat Towne). There are also cheeky commercial breaks for Shmimex watches and the all-new Ford Mustang. Musical director Litteral and his nattily dressed 12-member band (Jessica Olson's costumes are entirely on cue) combine into a flawless, robust performance redolent of the best of Ellington or Basie. Luca Ellis is a knockout from start to finish as the Crooner. How good is he? If you close your eyes while he sings familiar tunes such as “That's Life,” “New York, New York” and “Fly Me to the Moon,” you'd swear the Chairman himself had come back for one last encore. As masterfully woven together by director Aldridge, the material is so good that the applause signs aren't really needed. (Lovell Estell III). Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 3 p.m.; Fridays, 8 p.m.; Saturdays, 3 p.m. Continues through April 23. Edgemar Center for the Arts, 2437 Main St., Santa Monica, (310) 399-3666, www.edgemarcenter.org.

JUDGMENT AND NURENBERG Abby Mann's dramatic interpretation of the historic Nazi trials. Fridays, Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 2 p.m. Continues through April 3. Santa Monica Playhouse, 1211 Fourth St., Santa Monica, (310) 394-9779, santamonicaplayhouse.com.

GO JULIA Playwright Vince Melocchi's sweet, melancholy drama artfully makes the point that, of all the sorrows, nothing beats the sadness of being haunted by guilt over a long-ago romantic misdeed. Lou (Richard Fancy), a frail old man who clearly does not have too much sand left in the hourglass, shambles into a run-down Pittsburgh coffeehouse, ostensibly to witness the razing of the local department store where he worked some 50 years ago. However, his real purpose in returning to the scene is an attempted reconciliation with his long-lost sweetheart, Julia, whom he feels guilty for spurning many years ago. However, Julia (Roses Prichard), who now has Alzheimer's disease, doesn't even remember her own son, Steve (Keith Stevenson). Melocchi's writing is deceptively top-heavy with conversations that at first appear pointless but gradually coalesce to construct the psychological underpinnings of strikingly plausible blue-collar characters. In director Guillermo Cienfuegos' mostly subtle and emotionally nuanced production, the pacing could stand some amping up, but the feeling of reality encompassed by the interactions and confrontations is haunting at times. In his turn as the gruff, cranky Lou, Fancy builds on our expectation that the character is a feeble old coot, gradually shifting him into a figure whose regret and rage are all too understandable. Prichard is unusually believable as the tragically blank Julia. Dramatically vivid work also is offered by Stevenson's glum, disappointed Steve and by Haskell Vaughn Anderson III, as a family friend who remembers all the parties when they were young. (Paul Birchall). Thursdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 3 p.m. Continues through April 10. Pacific Resident Theatre, 703 Venice Blvd., Venice, (310) 822-8392, pacificresidenttheatre.com.

L.A. CAFE PLAYS Ruskin Group Theatre concocts five short plays in 10 1/2 hours. Third Sunday of every month, 7:30 & 9 p.m. Continues through Dec. 18. Ruskin Group Theater, 3000 Airport Dr., Santa Monica, (310) 397-3244, www.ruskingrouptheatre.com.

THE LARAMIE PROJECT The aftermath of the murder of Matthew Shepard, by Moisés Kaufman and the Tectonic Theater Project. Fridays, Saturdays, 8 p.m. Continues through March 19. Promenade Playhouse, 1404 Third Street Promenade, Santa Monica, (310) 656-8070, promenadeplayhouse.com.

GO LOCKED AND LOADED Ever hear the joke about the two guys with terminal brain tumors who decide to beat death to the punch? A Jew and a WASP dress up in tuxes, rent a presidential suite stocked with their favorite booze and call some hookers to help them go orgasmic into that good night. OK, so the subject matter and setup of, and even the quietly heartbreaking backstories in, actor-playwright Todd Susman's play are a little derivative — Leaving Las Vegas and Marsha Norman's play 'Night, Mother spring to mind — but some very clever writing and smart performances make this West Coast premiere much funnier and more mystical than the approach its predecessors took. Particularly interesting is Susman's deliberate trafficking in stereotypes. Old-monied Dickie Rice (Andrew Parks) is haughty as he hurls three strikes in quick succession at an African-American hooker, sniffing, “Do you know who I am?” and referring to her “Aunt Jemima” style of speaking. Sad-clown sitcom writer Irwin Schimmel (Paul Linke) turns his poison pen on himself and his Jewish heritage, and Catorce Martinez's (Terasa Sciortino) inability to understand English subtleties is the source of many jokes. But in electing Princess Lay-Ya (a very sharp Sandra Thigpen) queen pin, Susman gives the underdog the upper hand, which Lay-Ya uses to force the superficialities aside to reveal the very real, raw pain coursing beneath. After such deep diving, the resurface at play's end is a little easy; nevertheless, the whole shebang is a much more entertaining evening than the premise portends. Chris DeCarlo directs. (Rebecca Haithcoat). Fridays, Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 3:30 p.m. Continues through April 16. The Other Space at Santa Monica Playhouse, 1211 Fourth St., Santa Monica, (310) 394-9779.

A NIGHT AT THE OSCARS Well past the autumn of their careers, aging Hollywood film star William Chance (Brian Pietro) and his has-been art house actress wife, Diana (Susan Kohler), are invited to make a cameo appearance on an Academy Awards telecast. They meet with their flamboyant TV commercial agent (an engaging Ernie Brandon), are flattered by an adoring network production assistant (Jason Kaye), perform their spot and enjoy a nostalgic dance. Pietro and Kohler's twin portraits of doddering affability and fading feminine vanity offer sporadic instances of sentimental charm. But in the service of Peter Quilter's stale stab at Noel Coward-esque comedy, whose idea of wit is repeated allusions to Viagra and Preparation H, such moments only underscore the play's lack of authenticity, insight or discernible purpose. Ralph Romo's overly literal set and Jennifer Still's pointless video sequences only exacerbate the clumsiness of Diane Carroll's staging. (Bill Raden). Fridays, Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 5 p.m. Continues through March 20, brownpapertickets.com. Malibu Stage Company, 29243 Pacific Coast Hwy., Malibu, (310) 589-1998.

THE SUGAR BEAN SISTERS Nathan Sanders' story of “swampland sisterhood.” Fridays, Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sun., March 27, 7 p.m.; Thu., April 7, 8 p.m. Continues through April 9. Little Fish Theatre, 777 Centre St., San Pedro, (310) 512-6030, littlefishtheatre.org.

VALLEY SONG Athol Fugar's post-apartheid tale. Fridays, Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 2 p.m. Continues through March 20, brownpapertickets.com/event/154242. Electric Lodge, 1416 Electric Ave., Venice, (310) 306-1854, www.electriclodge.org.

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