‘ALMOST PERFECT’ MONTH STEALS UP ON A DIRECTOR

August was a good month for director Martin M. Speer--and a bad month.

On the good end was his involvement in Jerry Mayer’s clever new comedy “Almost Perfect” (at Santa Monica Playhouse through Oct. 5). On the bad side was a home burglary, which wiped him out to the tune of a microwave oven, stereo equipment, tape recorder, televisions, answering machine, camera, binoculars and personal mementos--plus all of his suits, sports jackets and pants (minus two pairs residing in the laundry).

“I suppose it happens to everyone,” he said philosophically. “But meanwhile, I had this wonderful play. And working on a new play is always exciting, because you’re not hampered by the decisions of other people who’ve developed it, pushed and pulled it into the tight corner that (publisher) Samuel French says is now the play. At the same time, it’s also very scary not having those parameters set for you.”

Adding to the scariness was the prospect of tackling a playwright’s debut (although Mayer has written extensively for television, including “All in the Family,” “MASH” and “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” this is his first play).

“Almost Perfect” is the funny/sad story of Buddy, a St. Louis developer (played by Charles Levin), dissatisfied with his home and work life, who finds himself drifting into an extramarital affair. How to avoid good guys, bad guys, cliches, finger-pointing and yet support a very real drama within a humorous context?

“I think any good drama, in order to propel the story along, has to have comedy,” Speer said. “ ‘Blue Denim’ (which he staged at the Harman Avenue Theatre in 1985) was about teen-age pregnancy in the ‘50s--not a funny subject, but when we weren’t getting laughs, I knew we were in trouble. And ‘Hasty Heart’ (the 1981 multi-award winner starring Gregory Harrison, which Speer staged for Catalina Productions at the Cast, then later at the Ahmanson and for cable TV) was a drama, but it had a great deal of comedy in it.

“This too is a comedy,” he continued. And although the playwright has created a protagonist who is both autocratic and immature (Mayer states that all men are swine in his program bio), Speer feels that Buddy’s hapless vulnerability and insecurity are ultimately endearing: “The core of him is good. And that (selfish) aspect of the character is an aspect in all of us, just one we don’t like to reveal.”

The director believes his own best contribution to the material is “in paying attention to the conflict--how best to support it, make it cook. Then I look at the area of character transition: their growth and fullness, how they move from one place to another.

“Another aspect of the transitions is scene to scene--how the play unravels. Some plays, like ‘Plaza Suite,’ take place in one room. This (set on a tiny 18-foot proscenium stage, with revolving panels and multipurpose furniture) has lots of transitions: We go from the bedroom to his parents’ home, to the office, to different restaurants--as well as many places in time, going back 20 years and forward into the future.”

It’s a trip the Pittsburgh native takes easily, having originally focused on studies (at Youngstown University) as an actor. “Then, after a year’s worth of training, I had the nerve to direct a play. And I was teaching a class for stage managers; at the same time, I was reading the (text) book--and I was about one chapter ahead of the people I was instructing. Really crazy . But when you’re young, you don’t stop at anything.”

The farewell to acting came gradually (“I think there’s an aspect of the director in almost every actor”), yet his 1965 move to Los Angeles resulted in 11 years spent as a directing member at Theatre East--all the while with an eye to television and film.

“So when it came time to film ‘Hasty Heart’ (for Showtime), I approached the producers and said, ‘Look, I’m the best man for the job. I know I haven’t done television before, but I don’t think you can find anybody better to do this.’ ”

Speer paused to smile. “I’m glad it turned out as well as it did.”