‘Aspirin and Elephants’ Sails on a Sea of Comedy

Jerry Mayer’s theme in his shipboard comedy, “Aspirin and Elephants” at the Santa Monica Playhouse, is that men are what’s wrong with marital relationships.

As in his first and very popular comedy, “Almost Perfect” (which enjoyed a 15-month run at the Playhouse a few years back), Mayer continues to skewer men for their immaturity and their insecurities. That may not be a novel theme. But Mayer, director Chris DeCarlo, and a perfect cast of six spin it into a jaunty comedy that is as sleek as the Nordic decor in the character’s staterooms.

A couple in their 60s--a man recovering from a heart attack and his doting wife (a humorously dry William Schallert and the chipper Priscilla Morgan)--have invited their two daughters and their husbands on a cruise to Leningrad. Once on board, the characters begin to show the stress of their marriages, and the burden of guilt in each case lies on the men.

Mayer, as in “Almost Perfect,” writes about characters in his own family, but the tone of the production is not autobiographical. One sleek, central set (stylishly designed by Scott Heineman) serves all three cabins, and the scenes move from one room to another with a fluidity that is artfully lit by James Cooper.

The acting is uniformly fine with the daughters and husbands a vivid foursome: Todd Susman’s cynical Hollywood TV writer toiling in daytime kidvid, Susan Cash as his endearing wife (she’s a knockout, early Elizabeth Montgomery), Vince McKewin’s hard-drinking, disloyal, resident swine, and his winsome wife, Sandra Kerns, who finally wakes up and takes her life into her own hands.

The laughs occasionally betray Mayer’s background (he’s a successful sitcom writer and producer), but no matter. The playwright has made the transition from TV to stage with an effortless ease that is never less than entertaining.

At 1211 4th St., Santa Monica, Thursdays through Saturdays, 8 p.m., Sundays, 7 p.m., through Oct. 15. Tickets: $14-$17.50. (213) 394-9779.

‘Spolin Games’

Improvisational theater pioneer Viola Spolin, who keeps a seat for herself on the aisle, doesn’t exactly direct “Spolin Games” (Gary Schwartz and Pat Musick do that), but her presence is palpable at the Heliotrope Theatre.

This return of the Spolin Players (their third time around at the Heliotrope) is improv as pure and unpredictable as you’re going to find it. The show was spotty opening night. (Some skits didn’t know when to stop.) But it also had its mercurial moments, especially when members of the troupe turned into a symphonic orchestra, mixed gibberish with English, or imaginatively played a theater game in which they had to make up poetry.

The production is never less than spontaneous because there are no prefab skits. Sideline coaching and suggestions from the audience rule the night. But the playing is based strictly on Spolin’s guidelines for theater games, which she nurtured at Chicago’s Hull House and other settlement houses more than 50 years ago. Her work inspired the flourishing improv theater movement in the late ‘50s (and was later published in her seminal text, “Improvisation for the Theater”).

The production is smartly paced by Steven Orich’s piano accompaniment. Actually, the sense of the experience is that of an informal night spent with a bunch of actors in one of their homes. The 11-member cast, which includes four women and several Spolin Players veterans, is an ensemble job but one actor, the loony Derek McGrath, rises above the uncertainty with wickedly original turns.

At 660 N. Heliotrope Ave., Wednesdays, 8 p.m., indefinitely. Tickets: $10. (213) 466-1767.

‘For Colored Girls . . . ‘

This revival of the choreopoem “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf” at the West Coast Ensemble bears witness to Ntozake Shange’s powerful writing and the burning passion of the work.

As the woman in blue, J.J. Boone hits you in the solar plexus. Her rendition of the shattering Crystal and Beau Willie story, which concludes the series of poetic monologues, builds with a horrible momentum. It’s a great performance.

Then there is Carlease Burke’s frisky woman in yellow (“I used to live in the world, then I moved to Harlem”). She’s the best dancer in the ensemble--we hear Puerto Rican beats, Motown--and physically the most vibrant.

The original cast numbered seven, but director Charlie Hall has telescoped this saga of young black women who never had time to be girls into a quintet of roles. The strength of the other three actresses (Vonna Bowen, Karen D. Wilson, and Donna Marie Banks) fades in comparison to the powerhouse Boone and Burke, creating an uneven tone. But as an ensemble effort there’s enough muscle here to show why “Colored Girls” lingers on.

At 6240 Hollywood Blvd., Fridays and Saturdays, 8 p.m., indefinitely. Tickets: $8-$10. (213) 871-1052.

‘Comedy of Errors’

Opening night was a disaster. “Comedy of Errors” was just that. The production did not look or sound well in its time jump to trendy Melrose Avenue. Producer Alexander Lehr (who did not attend his own opening night) closed the show after its single performance at the Gene Dynarski Theater, where programs didn’t even arrive. He then announced he would be making several cast changes and would reopen the show later. The director was Colin Cox.