Theater: Openings and Critics’ Picks in Southern Califonia

This week’s theater openings:

The Fools Actors’ Repertory Theatre’s presents this romantic and naughty musical comedy, based on Moliere’s classic “Les Facheux.” Santa Monica Playhouse, 1211 4th St., Santa Monica. Sat., 7:30 p.m.; Sun.6:30 p.m.; ends Sept. 30. $25. (310) 394-9779.

Fishing Food writer David Duman’s comedy tells the tale of brilliant but caustic chef and his ennui-riddled manager as they attempt to hold together a hot new restaurant. Archway Studio/Theatre, 305 South Hewitt St., L.A. Opens Thu. Thu.-Sat., 8 p.m.; next Sun., 2 p.m.; ends Sept. 22. $20. (213) 237-9933.

Little Shop of Horrors In this spoof of 1950s sci-fi movies, a down-and-out floral assistant becomes an overnight sensation when he discovers an exotic plant with a craving for fresh blood. Glendale Centre Theatre, 324 N. Orange St., Glendale. Opens Thu. Thu.-Fri., 8 p.m.; Sat., 3 p.m., 8 p.m.; ends Oct. 6. $22-$28. (818) 244-8481.

Rita Rudner: Act 3 Comedian Rita Rudner returns to Laguna accompanied by local singer-songwriter Sasha Evans. Laguna Playhouse, 606 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach. Opens Fri. Fri.-next Sun., 7 p.m.; ends next Sun. $55, $65. (949) 497-2787.

The Blue Iris The Fountain Theatre celebrates Athol Fugard’s 80th birthday with the U.S. premiere of the Tony winner’s newest play. Set in a burnt-out house in South Africa, a widowed farmer and his housekeeper sort through the debris of their lives in this soul-searching love story. Fountain Theatre, 5060 Fountain Ave., Hollywood. Opens Fri. Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; next Sun., 2 p.m.; ends Sept. 16. $30, $34. (323) 663-1525.

Colin Mochrie and Brad Sherwood The stars of the television series “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” team up for a night of comedy and improv. Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts, 12700 Center Court Drive, Cerritos. Opens Fri. Fri., 8 p.m.; ends Fri. $25-$75. (562) 467-8818.

Ghost-Writer International City Theatre presents the West Coast premiere of Michael Hollinger’s tale about a acclaimed novelist finishing his work from beyond the grave. International City Theatre at Long Beach Performing Arts Center, 300 E. Ocean Blvd., Long Beach. Opens Fri. Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; next Sun., 2 p.m.; ends Sept. 16. $37, $44. (562) 436-4610.

Under The Desert Raymond King Schurtz’s play about a self-ordained priest and a waitress at a desolate diner examines what constitutes a true pious experience. World premiere. The Lounge Theatre, 6201 Santa Monica Blvd., L.A. Opens Fri. Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; next Sun., 7 p.m.; ends Sept. 30. $20. (323) 960-7776.

The Para Abnormals Thomas J. Misuraca’s supernatural thriller-comedy about three friends who venture into the hazardous world of ghost-hunting makes its world premiere. Zombie Joe’s Underground Theater, 4850 Lankershim Blvd., Los Angeles. Opens Sat. Sat., 8:30 p.m.; ends Sept. 29. $15. (818) 202-4120.

Elephant Room Paul Lazar directs the West Coast premiere of this comedy about semi-pro illusionists practicing their craft in a basement rec room. Kirk Douglas Theatre, 9820 Washington Blvd., Culver City. Opens next Sun. Next Sun., 1 p.m., 6:30 p.m.; ends Sept. 16. $20-$50. (213) 628-2772.

A Night Under The Stars Cloris Leachman, Amy Madigan, Wendie Malick and Jean Smart star in a staged reading of “Recipe,” a new romp by playwright Michael Gene Sullivan. The Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum, 1419 N. Topanga Canyon Blvd. Box Office, Topanga. Opens next Sun. Next Sun., 6:30 p.m.; ends next Sun. $100. (310) 455-3723.

Critics’ Choices:

Farm Boy This engrossing West Coast premiere of the sequel to “War Horse” is the diametric opposite of its award-winning predecessor, and it registers with affecting delicacy, courtesy of director David Fofi and actors Lawrence Pressman and Simon Lees. (D.C.N.) Matrix Theatre, 7657 Melrose Ave., L.A. Today, 3 p.m.; Thu.-Fri., 8 p.m.; Sat., 3 p.m., 8 p.m.; next Sun., 3 p.m.; ends next Sun. $34. (800) 838-3006.

Hearts Like Fists A graphic novel-style gloss on fear of heartbreak, Adam Szymkowicz’s latest comedy is the perfect summer date: exhilarating, silly, and sexy. In director Jaime Robledo’s sharp production—which references everything from Dr. Caligari to “Kick Ass”—feet and snappy one-liners fly, thanks to Andrew Amani’s witty fight choreography and perfectly pitched performances. (C.S.) Theatre of Note, 1517 N. Cahuenga Blvd., Hollywood. Today, 7 p.m.; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; next Sun., 7 p.m.; ends Sept. 1. $20. (323) 856-8611.

Incident at Vichy Arthur Miller’s 1964 study of detainees in Nazi-occupied France isn’t exactly top tier, but when executed as intensely as this gripping revival, it might as well be. Director Barbara Schofield deftly maintains the life-and-death stakes, which her actors embody with such conviction that even technical inequities become interpretive assets (D.C.N.) Sierra Madre Playhouse, 87 W. Sierra Madre Blvd, Sierra Madre. Today, 2:30 p.m.; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; next Sun., 2:30 p.m.; ends Sept. 8. $25. (626) 355-4318.

Macbeth In the Antaeus Company’s entertaining, unconventional take on “Macbeth,” director Jessica Kubzansky suggests that the infamous couple’s bad behavior can be ascribed to grief over a lost child. (M.G.) Deaf West Theatre, 5112 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood. Today, 2 p.m.; Fri., 8 p.m.; Sat., 2 p.m., 8 p.m.; next Sun., 2 p.m.; ends next Sun. $30, $34. (818) 506-1983.

Measure for Measure This freewheeling late-60s resetting finds contextual parallels that shrewdly illuminate Shakespeare’s darker purpose; in particular, the dramedy’s political and social criticisms handily lend themselves to the protest movements and cultural upheaval of the Viet Nam War era. (P.B.) The Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum, 1419 N. Topanga Canyon Blvd. Box Office, Topanga. Today, next Sun.3:30 p.m.; Sat., 8 p.m.; ends Sept. 1. $20, $33. (310) 455-3723.

The New Electric Ballroom Enda Walsh’s neo-Beckettian drama returns to L.A. in a Rogue Machine production directed by John Perrin Flynn. The play, which replays an old family trauma as though it were a ritualized game, throbs with an exquisite vulnerability in this intimate staging. Unorthodox storytelling, astringent language and deeply inhabited acting. (C.M.) Rogue Machine at Theatre Theater, 5041 Pico Blvd., L.A. Today, 7 p.m.; Mon., Fri.8 p.m.; Sat., 5 p.m.; next Sun.; ends Sept. 2. $30. (855) 585-5185.

The Paris Letter After years in the doldrums, the Group Rep continues its impressive professional ascent with Jon Robin Baitz’s funny, shattering play about a gay man’s determined rejection of his own true nature — repression that ends in tragedy. Jules Aaron helms the excellent cast in this sensitive and hugely entertaining production. (F.K.F.) Lonny Chapman Theatre, 10900 Burbank Blvd., North Hollywood. Today, 2 p.m.; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; next Sun., 2 p.m.; ends Sept. 2. $15-$22. (818) 763-5990.

The Pianist of Willesden Lane Keyboard virtuoso Mona Golabek channels her mother, pianist Lisa Jura, and her 1938 Kindertransport trek from Nazi-occupied Vienna to England, and strikes musical and emotional notes that transcend technical display or biographical sentiment. Adapted and directed by Hershey Felder, this elegant, heartfelt solo show is an arresting, deeply affecting triumph. (D.C.N.) Audrey Skirball Kenis Theater at the Geffen Playhouse, 10886 Le Conte Ave., Westwood. Today, 2 p.m., 7 p.m.; Wed.-Fri., 8 p.m.; Sat., 3 p.m., 8 p.m.; next Sun., 2 p.m., 7 p.m.; ends Sept. 15. $72-$77. (310) 208-5454.

Stoneface: The Rise And Fall And Rise of Buster Keaton In the eponymous central role of this world premiere show, French Stewart leaves his typical bag of tricks behind the stage door in a performance of impressive gravity and physicality. Stewart’s wife, Vanessa Claire Stewart, wrote the show specifically for him, and her surreally creative collaboration with director Jaime Robledo is supported by a virtuosic design team and a dream cast with vaudevillian timing. Forget any preconceptions you may have had about French Stewart. His antic, poignant performance is, quite simply, a revelation. (F.K.F.) Sacred Fools Theater, 660 N. Heliotrope Drive, L.A. Today, 2 p.m.; Tue.-Sat., 8 p.m.; next Sun., 2 p.m.; ends next Sun. $34.

Tape The Smith and Martin Company and needtheater have taken the stage directions of “Tape” seriously and staged Stephen Belber’s cult three-hander in a room at the Western Plaza Motel on Wilton and Santa Monica. Ian Forester’s direction is admirably low-key, and there’s a certain absorbing appeal to watching an actor exist in character only inches away. (C.S.) Los Feliz Motel, 3101 Los Feliz Blvd, L.A. Tue.-Wed., 8 p.m., 10 p.m.; ends Sept. 5. $15. (323) 871-1126.

West Side Story Less a revival than a whole-scale reinvention, this stunning chamber version of Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim and Arthur Laurents’ landmark musical yields breathtaking, deeply moving results. Dispensing with the original iconography, director Oanh Nguyen, choreographer Kelly Todd and a sterling cast led by Keaton Williams and Gina Velez bring an established classic to electrifying new life. (D.C.N.) Chance Theater, 5552 E. La Palma Ave., Anaheim. Today, 2 p.m., 7 p.m.; ends Today. $45. (714) 777-3033.

Capsule reviews are by Philip Brandes (P.B.), F. Kathleen Foley (F.K.F.), Charles McNulty (C.M.), David C. Nichols (D.C.N.) and Charlotte Stoudt (C.S.). Compiled by Jamie Wetherbe.