STAGE REVIEW : ‘Boys’ Life’ Looks at Men Who Aren’t Yet

Howard Korder’s “Boys’ Life,” a close-up look at the extended adolescence of three grown-up men, has opened at the Rose Theatre, a much smaller space than the stage at Los Angeles Theatre Center where the play opened last year. The Rose and the play are perfectly scaled for each other.

It’s an intimate comedy, examining how these men-children cope with the confining aspects of male stereotypes, in their treatment of women and each other. Korder scrupulously ignored what these men do for a living (though that is how many young men define themselves)--the better to focus on their interior lives. Nuances count for a lot here. And this production, directed by Regina Krueger, etches those nuances with a fine hand.

There is Don (Joe Mazza), who has found a straight-thinking woman (Angelina Brunneau) but doesn’t quite know how to win her. There’s Phil (Thomas Babuscio), whose extreme neediness is too much for Karen (Trin Blakely). And let’s not forget sour Jack (Phi Bernier), whose marriage doesn’t meet his psychological necessity to play the role of the bad boy.

Apart from a clever sound design, the physical production isn’t up to the quality of the performances--but the performances are sterling. It’s the first production of a new company, Nuts & Twigs.

At 318 Lincoln Blvd., Fridays through Sundays at 8 p.m. through June 10. $10; (213) 392-6963.