STAGE REVIEW : An Owner’s Manual on How to Kill Your Wife

“Faithful” is an almost emblematic title for the new Chazz Palminteri play which opened Thursday at the Court Theatre in West Hollywood. Just take a look at the production credits.

Peter Gatien and Dan Lauria are presenting this world premiere. Both were involved in producing Palminteri’s last play, “A Bronx Tale” in 1989. Mark Travis, who staged “Tale” back then, is also the director of “Faithful.” One loyal guy, this Palminteri--a man of his word. Just like Tony.

Tony is the hired gun Palminteri plays in “Faithful.” Tony is principled. There are rules to his game and he abides by them. One of them is never to kill women. If a husband has bought Tony’s services to rape and kill his wife, it’s her problem. She shouldn’t have provoked the situation by playing around in the first place. No skin off Tony’s nose. She has it coming.

Huh? Fortunately, “Faithful” has a lot more of this kind of logic and many other surprises. The writing is spirited and funny, and the play boasts the most fully developed offstage character in memory: Tony’s therapist, Jo-Jo, who only calls in his lines.

Naturally, in a potential whydunit (which this is) you can’t reveal much of the plot. Suffice it to say that Margaret--Maggie--the woman Tony is supposed to kill is a good match for him, and that her murderous husband Jack is not. Maggie has a few tricks up her own sleeve, and a killer who has to call his therapist before he can go through with the job presents, well, a window of opportunity.

Things get quite complicated in due course, but always entertaining, and while the one-liners are not relentless, they are often, if not always, securely anchored in character. This is breezy fare of a specific genre, jauntily directed by Travis. Palminteri the playwright is deft with it. He does not overstay his welcome and keeps his audience guessing.

Palminteri the actor is throughly seductive. He has a boyish grin and great, ingenuous magnetism. Acting seems as natural to him as breathing. And he knows how to pick his parts. He writes them.

Kathleen B. Cooper has created a living-room set best described as eclectic nouveau riche chic , warmly lit by Ken Booth. The balance of the cast is not too shabby either.

Bridget Hanley as Margaret, the play’s most faceted role, goes through broad changes, vigorously delivering the unexpected on a regular basis. In contrast, James Handy’s aptly wimpy Jack is everything we do expect. Almost. Is this a comment on the sexes?

Hardly. “Faithful” is not preoccupied with anything so semi-deep. It’s good fun and games and about as weighty as Styrofoam. Community theaters will be clamoring for it for years.

However, a slightly fuller definition of the clever Maggie wouldn’t hurt. Neither would a better understanding of why a woman as bright as she is, holding as many trump cards as she does, sits around the mansion brooding. And the anti-climactic ending should be jazzed--not changed, just given some exit fireworks. “Faithful” to his ingenuity and style, Palminteri will surely find a way.

“Faithful,” Court Theatre, 722 N. La Cienega Blvd., West Hollywood. Thursdays-Sundays, 8 p.m. Ends April 7. $15-$20; (213) 466-1767. Running time: 1 hour, 35 minutes.

‘Faithful’

Chazz Palminteri: Tony

Bridget Hanley: Margaret

James Handy: Jack

A Gatien-Lauria presentation. Executive producers Peter Gatien, Dan Lauria. Producer W. Kim Sullivan. Associate producer Sandy Lang. Director Mark Travis. Playwright Chazz Palminteri. Sets Kathleen B. Cooper. Lights Ken Booth. Music/sound Alphonse Ranaudo. Stage manager Peter DeAnello.