COMEDY REVIEW : Fractured Mirror Fashions Fun-House Misperceptions

You can almost picture a pinkie-ringed, cigar-chomping Hollywood producer being knocked out by Fractured Mirror at some future Los Angeles performance and asking, “Hey, you’re damn good--where ya been?”

The answer: In Orange County, trying--with grin determination and limited success--to land local bookings beyond the periodic stint at Finally A Unicorn Emporium in Huntington Beach, where the comedy troupe played Sunday to an audience you could tally on one hand.

The dearth of gigs and overall support in its own back yard reflects a chilly lack of respect that might even stagger Rodney Dangerfield. Fast approaching its fourth anniversary, Fractured Mirror remains a comedy group without honor in its own county.

But not without plenty of talent. Or plenty of sharply written and well-performed sketches, as Sunday’s two-hour show--part of a monthlong stand that continues this weekend--made eminently clear.

A Fractured Mirror performance has much to offer, whether you’re a champion of live entertainment simply seeking something different or a devoted weekend couch potato whose devotion is wavering as the writers’ strike has forced “Saturday Night Live” to start rerunning reruns.

Indeed, “Saturday Night Live” is a fairly good reference point: A Fractured Mirror show is laced with live music but mostly features comedy sketches of different lengths performed by various combinations of the five-member ensemble.

And like even the best seasons of “SNL,” an evening with Fractured Mirror can be a hit-and-miss affair, which is less a comment on the local group than on sketch comedy.

But Fractured Mirror hit far more often than it missed Sunday, a major-league batting average all the more impressive when you consider that it couldn’t have been particularly fun or energizing to work for a virtually empty house. But in the best show-must-go-on tradition, the group worked very hard. Now, that’s heavy mettle.

Fractured Mirror sketches encompass a sweeping variety of material, indicating that the troupe’s collective antennae pick up an enormous number of signals--and has pretty good reception. These attributes enable the ensemble to bring a fresh slant to what might otherwise be overworked premises or topics.

For example, the oft-mined “what-they’re-really-thinking” device was at the center of “Thoughts,” in which people on a first date are holding an amiable conversation but actually can’t wait to cut the evening short. Voice-overs announced their true feelings--including the way an initially halfhearted goodnight kiss turned the date (and the scene) around.

“Thoughts” transcended its dusty device not only because the first-date sentiments were dead on, but also because it hinted at a larger point: People would be much better off if they spent more time communicating openly and less time making snap judgments and overprotecting their ego. The evening’s second half featured a sequel (“Second Thoughts”) that made the point more explicitly, using the device to show the couple--who have become intimate--sabotaging themselves with all manner of insecure second-guessing.

Sometimes the troupe addresses serious issues and emotions through far wackier means, such as infidelity from the standpoint of a guy thinking of cheating on his inflatable doll. Though the piece runs too long, it has a neat payoff: The guy decides to remain faithful after discovering that he has fathered offspring, which, of course, are balloons. There’s also a second-half sequel to this one--only this time it’s the doll who almost strays.

Performing sequels has only recently become part of the Mirror MO. It’s a good move overall, though some sketch ideas barely merit the original scene, much less a follow-up: “Fun in Deep Space” involves some kind of space crew that has a feline preoccupation you might call catological . So “Return to Deep Space” was a tough voyage.

But, again, you don’t expect a home run every time they step to the plate, and you’re willing to put up with that kind of foul tip because something quite different--or adventurous or funny or trenchant--will surely follow immediately .

Case in point: About midway through the first half, they did “Blood and Guts,” a loud, high-energy sketch whose idea turns on removing the remaining trace of subtlety from the making and marketing of slasher films (the ad line: “Blood and guts smeared all over the screen!”) while spoofing ads that use man-on-the-street testimonials.

Then, pausing only for a momentary blackout, they moved right into “Status Quo,” a dramatically different scene: a hospital-room rumination on dying, representing the contrasting reactions of the patient and his family. It was a poignant piece that didn’t quite come off, but you still applauded the troupe for taking the chance.

Obviously there are some smart, thoughtful minds at work here, but Fractured Mirror is hardly opposed to being goofy for goofy’s sake. The ensemble (Trisha Burson, Robert Ferrera, Neal Fugate, Stephanie Thomas and Tim Thorn) performed the unscheduled “Crazy Ted,” a nutty pseudo-commercial extolling the virtues of the fine cardboard available at Crazy Ted’s Cardboard Emporium.

And later, “Golf” explored a wonderfully improbable premise: What if golfers behaved with the same blustery braggadocio and quick-to-fight tendencies exhibited by professional wrestlers?

Among other things, it would make for a funny, entertaining, weird and wonderful display.

Much the same could be said for Fractured Mirror. Go see ‘em.

The troupe resumes its stand at the funky-but-chic Finally A Unicorn Emporium on Friday and continues each weekend through May 28.

Finally A Unicorn Emporium is at 214 Main St., Huntington Beach. Show times: Fridays and Saturdays, 8:30 p.m; Sunday, 7:30 p.m. Tickets: $7. Information (714) 969-1794.