The 99-Seat Beat: Federico García Lorca, a riff on Mozart and some Sherlock Holmes

This week in L.A.'s small-theater scene: Cornerstone Theater Company continues its six-year Hunger Cycle with “Magic Fruit,” a play on Mozart’s “The Magic Flute,” while playwright Oliver Mayer turns to Federico García Lorca for the inspiration behind "Yerma in the Desert." Theatre 40 unleashes "Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Jersey Lily," and Rogue Machine tackles some Weinstein-era questions in "Bled for the Household Truth."

1. Cornerstone’s ‘Magic Fruit’

The essentials: Loosely based on Mozart’s “The Magic Flute,” the play is a typical Cornerstone mash-up of professional performers and non-pros recruited from diverse Los Angeles communities. This one concerns a young female ex-gang member’s odyssey through a post-apocalyptic Los Angeles to find a safe haven and perhaps “save the world.”

Why this? For 30 years, the award-winning Cornerstone Theater has produced play “cycles” centering on social justice issues. Possibly the company’s most ambitious offering to date, this ninth and final play in Cornerstone’s six-year Hunger Cycle unites themes from the previous plays into one sweeping production that addresses hunger in America.

Details: Shakespeare Center of Los Angeles, 1238 W. 1st St., Los Angeles. 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays-Fridays, 8 p.m. Saturdays, 3 p.m. Sundays; ends Dec. 10. Addition 8 p.m. performance on Dec. 8. Pay what you can ($20 suggested). cornerstonetheater.org

2. ‘Yerma in the Desert’

The essentials: Lorca called his “Yerma” a “tragic poem” about a rural washerwoman whose inability to conceive drives her to murder. Oliver Mayer’s timely updating centers on the plight of a female janitor and her fellow custodial workers forced into silence and subjugation by the threat of deportation.

Why this? The great poet of his generation, Lorca was denounced as a homosexual and reportedly slain by fascists in 1936. Mayer, who has eloquently treated issues of homophobia, sexism and racism in plays such as “Blade to the Heat,” intends this modernization both as a call to arms against anti-immigrant hysteria and a clarion warning against the rise of fascism worldwide.

Details: Greenway Court Theatre, 544 N. Fairfax Ave., Los Angeles. 8 p.m. Fridays, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays; ends Dec. 16. $20. www.GreenwayCourtTheatre.org/Yerma​​​

3. ‘Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Jersey Lily’ at Theatre 40

The essentials: In Katie Forgette’s period piece, Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson team with Oscar Wilde to save fabled British beauty Lillie Langtry from the coils of the nefarious Professor Moriarty, who has embroiled Langtry in a sex scandal that could topple the British monarchy.

Why this? Veteran director Jules Aaron has kept his spirit of youthful experimentalism alive throughout his lengthy career — no mean feat. Aaron’s enduring brio, coupled with his sheer logistical reliability, promises that this Victorian-era diversion will be an escapist’s delight.

Details: Theatre 40, Reuben Cordova Theatre, 241 S. Moreno Drive, Beverly Hills. 8 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays; ends Dec. 17. Additional performances 7 p.m. Friday and 8 p.m. Dec. 4 and 11. $30. (310) 364-0535. www.theatre40.org

4. Rogue Machine’s ‘Bled for the Household Truth’

The essentials: When a young man advertises for a female roommate to parade around in her underwear, the scene is set for a timely drama that examines male-female dynamics in the Weinstein-scandal era.

Why this? Playwright Ruth Fowler sets out to explore “the systemic objectification of women, perceptions of intimacy and consent, and who (or — how) we trust in an increasingly digital age.” With gifted director Cameron Watson at the helm, it’s likely Fowler’s provocative new play will earn pride of place in Rogue Machine’s long roster of hits.

Details: Rogue Machine at the Met, 1089 N. Oxford Ave., Los Angeles. 8:30 p.m. Saturdays, 3 p.m. Sundays, 8:30 p.m. Mondays; ends Dec. 18. $40. (855) 585-5185. www.roguemachinetheatre.com

The 99-Seat Beat appears every Friday. Our team of reviewers — people with more than 75 years of combined experience tracking local theater — shortlist current offerings at 99-seat theaters and other smaller venues. Some (but not all) recommendations are shows we’ve seen; others have caught our attention because of the track record of the company, playwright, director or cast. You can find more comprehensive theater listings posted every Sunday at latimes.com/arts.