Beckett Becomes Alive, Accessible in ‘Nohow On’

Some say Samuel Beckett’s theater is elitist and inaccessible. Not so, in Ryan Cutrona’s “Nohow On,” an evening of snatches and snippets from Beckett’s work at Stages Trilingual Theatre in Hollywood.

“Perhaps it’s a dream,” Cutrona begins, sitting on a stool on a table in a corner, covered, like Hamm in “Endgame,” with a cloth. He’s soon uncovered, and so is the poetic, mystic world of Beckett, as the actor goes on: “On. Somehow on. Till nohow on.”

There is little obscurity in these and Beckett’s other words in Cutrona’s adaptation, as the ear and the mind fall in with their rhythms and relax into their shadings. Lewis Carroll said, “Take care of the sense and the sounds will take care of themselves.” This is Beckett at his most accessible, a valued trip into the author’s own Wonderland of affection and empathy for the human condition.

Cutrona is an actor gifted with an insight that shines a bright light into the dark corners of Beckett’s catalogue of the confusing world we live in. Beckett himself claimed to be a writer for the common man and Cutrona proves it through his performance, a rich panorama of moods and emotional levels, his hair awry, his eyes gleaming with impish delight, his body electric with the impulses of the writing.

Assembling a tattered bicycle or disassembling the flotsam and jetsam that decorate the stage, making surprise appearances from unexpected doorways or confronting the viewer, the actor makes each moment delicious. One wishes he would go on--anyhow on--exploring the astonishing Beckett.

“Nohow On,” Stages Trilingual Theatre, 1540 N. McCadden Place, Hollywood. Thursdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m. Ends Sept. 14. $12-$15; (213) 465-1010. Running time: 1 hour.

Performances Spark ‘Borderlines’ One-Acts

John Bishop’s examination of the male mystique, as outlined in his two one-acts “Borderlines,” offers no surprises, but delves with compassion into the composition of the clay feet of the heroes most men consider themselves.

In this bare-bones production at Hollywood’s Fountain Theatre, the coiled-spring direction of James Burke and notable performances help make the playwright’s point ring clear as a bell.

The opener, “Borderlines,” charts the fall from grace of a husband who has witnessed the murder of a married woman and her lover. The thought of it obsesses him throughout his spiraling down to a fate equaling the murderer’s.

Dave Higgins plays the husband flawlessly, from his complacent beginnings to his confused and frantic end, and Kathleen Long is effective as the randy secretary who helps pull him down. Walter Olkewicz is exceptional as the smarmy detective who watches him fall.

“Keepin’ an Eye on Louie” takes the cliche of two macho cops on a stakeout and expands it into an interesting triple-play that juxtaposes the marital traumas of the two cops and their informer, a small-time hood who is sneaked into the building in drag.

None of the three is what he seems, and the contrasts are excellently drawn in the performances of Jason Edwards as the older cop, Lenny Citrano as the informer--who frets when his brassiere strap is broken--and especially Chris Innvar, gripping as the younger cop whose doubts of his self-image are steadily boiling beneath the surface.

“Borderlines,” Fountain Theatre, 5060 Fountain Ave., Hollywood. Fridays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 7 p.m. Ends Sept. 8. $15; (213) 660-TKTS. Running time: 2 hours, 10 minutes.

‘Molly’ Plays Like a Blast From the Past

Maybe it’s because the play is based on a true story and didn’t pop fresh out of his mind, but Simon Gray’s 1976 “Molly” seems like a play from the time in which it was set (1936). It doesn’t have the immediacy and freshness of “Otherwise Engaged,” “Butley” or his other contemporary works.

That’s not to say it isn’t a good play. It is, very much so, finely crafted and engaging throughout Gavin Glennon’s forceful staging. Molly, in her late 30s, has married an aging Nova Scotian businessman and brought him back to England with her, where they’ve engaged a “companion-housekeeper.” They also hire a local boy to drive the car and keep up with the gardening. Considering the lava simmering within Molly’s emotional and sexual volcano, the result is not unexpected.

Walt Beaver and Oceana Marr give solid portraits of the traditional doddering husband--who’s not as doddering as he appears--and the traditional housekeeper. But it’s Suzanne Goddard’s evening as the volatile, appeasing Molly. She controls the stage when she’s on and rides the roller coaster of Molly’s personality with careful abandon. Christian Milne is the local boy Molly seduces and moves into the house, and he handles the character’s innocence and violence beautifully. The seduction scene is tender and poetic, the high point of the evening.

“Molly,” Theatre 40, at Beverly Hills High School, 241 Moreno Drive, Beverly Hills. Mondays-Wednesdays, 8 p.m. Ends Sept. 4. $10; (213) 466-1767. Running time: 1 hour, 50 minutes.

Little More Than Froth Whipped Up in ‘Nerd’

The comedies of the late Larry Shue try to make social comments along with the laughs. That doesn’t always help them rise above the froth of which they’re made.

The serious note in “The Nerd,” at North Hollywood’s Gnu Theatre, is the extent of responsibility to one who has saved your life. Willum Cubbert feels a heavy debt to Rick Steadman for carrying him to safety in “ ‘Nam.” That is, until Steadman drops in, suitcase and all. Cubbert’s debt is quickly paid, the humor evolving from the efforts of Cubbert and his friends to get rid of Steadman. But the play ends with a deus ex dumb.

Jeff Seymour’s effervescent direction gets every laugh out of the script--and a couple that aren’t in the script--and whips Shue’s froth to high peaks. The Gnu doesn’t frequently fall back on “audience-pleasers” like “The Nerd,” but Seymour is as adept in the genre as with his more solid work.

An excellent cast, led by Keith Sellon-Wright as Cubbert, Robin Curtis and Jim Jansen as his friends and Ron French as Steadman, are perfectly at home in the style, which Shue’s early death prevented him from building into something weightier, more demanding and more rewarding.

“The Nerd,” Gnu Theatre, 10426 Magnolia Blvd., North Hollywood. Thursdays-Sundays, 8 p.m. Ends Oct. 13. $15-$20; (818) 508-5344. Running time: 2 hours, 10 minutes.