STAGE REVIEW : ‘How the Other Half Loves’ a Bit Overbearing at Times

Alan Ayckbourn has been described occasionally as the British Neil Simon, a tag that finds support in his “How the Other Half Loves,” now at the Harlequin Dinner Playhouse in Santa Ana.

But this little farce is reminiscent of Simon for the wrong reasons. Like Simon’s more meager comedies, “How the Other Half Loves” can be overbearing in its attempt to provoke laughs. To be sure, Ayckbourn, like Simon, has created some grandly comic stage moments (just look to the funny, pungent “Intimate Exchanges”), but there aren’t many here.

The terrain is hardly original: marital infidelities involving the boss’s wife. In this case, we get Bob (Ron Kuhlman), the “office Romeo” and not-so-likable guy who beds the ample Fiona (Ann Walker). She has a pretty good excuse for seeking an erotic outlet; husband Frank (Lynn Phillip Seibel) is a self-important bore who tries everybody’s patience with his muddled thinking.

Bob and Fiona feel they have everything in hand until it all begins to unravel. Bob’s wife, Teresa (Kate Zentall) has plenty of wattage; when those little inconsistencies start popping up at home, she’s got a good idea that Bob’s been bad. Frank, on the other hand, has no notion of what is going on. In fact, he thinks the amazingly nervous Mary (Michele Buffone), who is married to Bob’s glad-handing office mate William (Craig Berenson), is rumpling the sheets with Bob. Yipes.

To the play’s credit, it does have a few witty scenes where Ayckbourn plays with dramatic structure (a trademark) and has two separate dinners going on at once. The time-switching interactions between Mary and William and each couple do create a certain giddiness, mainly because Berenson and Buffone react so deftly (and humorously) to the scene’s shifting tones.

Director Sharon Howard keeps the dinners (and overall action) from getting confusing with some focused staging; she also keeps the farcical momentum up, which is admirable, considering the comedy’s limitations.

The same can be said of the acting. Kuhlman’s Bob is boyish enough to be attractive to women (especially older women) and selfish enough to grate on the nerves. Zentall gives Teresa a gutsy streak that makes her the most interesting character. Walker’s Fiona is snobby without being too obnoxious, and Seibel’s Frank is lovably dim.

‘HOW THE OTHER HALF LOVES’

A Harlequin Dinner Playhouse production of Alan Ayckbourn’s comedy. Directed by Sharon Howard. With Ron Kuhlman, Ann Walker, Lynn Phillip Seibel, Kate Zentall, Michele Buffone and Craig Berenson. Set by Tony Falcone. Costumes by Barbara Hampton. Lighting by Jenson Crawford. Plays Tuesday through Thursday at 6 p.m., Friday at 7 p.m., Saturday at 6 p.m. and Sunday at 11 a.m. and 5:30 p.m., through May 15 at 3503 S. Harbor Blvd., Santa Ana. Tickets: $23.50 to $32. (714) 979-7550.