STAGE REVIEW : ‘Chapter Two’ Deftly Reads Between Lines : The Long Beach Community Players strike a fine balance of jokes and pathos in their cozy and well-acted production of the Neil Simon comedy.

Neil Simon’s better comedies, the ones that don’t rely so much on quips as on a personal story, have an autobiographical truthfulness about them. The trilogy that begins with “Brighton Beach Memoirs” is a good example, and so is “Chapter Two.”

Simon wrote the latter, at least in part, to probe his feelings about the death of his first wife to cancer in 1973 and his rejuvenation through a subsequent marriage to actress Marsha Mason. Simon’s alter ego, George, stumbles into a courtship with the recently divorced Jennie, making glib jokes but also revealing something of his pain and loss.

Like many of Simon’s popular mainstream comedies, “Chapter Two” is frequently revived by small theaters that know it can be a dependable crowd-pleaser, simply because it exposes human frailties without making big demands of an audience (Simon never forgets his obligation to try to make people laugh). The Long Beach Community Players are the latest to take on “Chapter Two,” which opened Saturday night with a cozy, well-acted production.

Director Darlene Hunter-Chaffee doesn’t let her cast get too eager over the play’s sometimes-darkish humor, especially where George and Jennie are concerned. Kevin McDermott’s George is witty but sadly reserved, Tommie Minard’s Jennie, suffering her own heartache since being dumped by her husband, is charming but reticent about getting involved again. McDermott and Minard help to maintain the play’s balance between jokes and pathos.

It’s amusing to watch these two struggle toward love, using wordplay to hide their deeper emotions. There may not be great chemistry between Minard and McDermott, but they do seem to show an understanding of one another, which creates a rapport.

Simon saves the yuks for Leo, George’s show-business brother, and Faye, Jennie’s soap-opera actress best friend. Russell Hodgkinson and Arlene Malinowski are playing typical Simon characters, full of gab and one-liners, and they do get theatrical (especially Hodgkinson). But they also have their share of funny moments, such as their near-affair that is torpedoed by too much self-consciousness.

‘Chapter Two’

A Long Beach Community Players production of Neil Simon’s comedy. Directed by Darlene Hunter-Chaffee. With Kevin McDermott, Tommie Minard, Russell Hodgkinson and Arlene Malinowski. Set by Mark Pietrzak. Lighting by Mark Bauserman. Sound by Vickii Chaffee. Plays Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. through Feb. 8 at 5021 E. Anaheim St., Long Beach. Tickets: $9 and $10. (310) 494-1616.