Nosotros Pays Tribute to Miguel Pinero

In a tribute to the late Miguel Pinero, Nosotros presents a festival of his one-acts, several of which have never been seen locally. The opening program gives an indication of promise cut short, his poetry, his theatricality, and one example of the erratic dramaturgy that marks some of his work.

“Sideshow,” the best of the two pieces seen, may look a bit dated in this day of constant tragedy in urban streets. Some of this might be in the buoyant, lighthearted feel of Alex Colon’s direction, but it’s also in the writing.

As a theater piece, “Sideshow” is a joy to watch. Its young cast explodes onto the stage with fiery abandon, flashes across it in Jaime Rogers’ streetwise choreography, and revels in the colorful characters Pinero has given them. That these lost young souls are painted in primary colors doesn’t matter--it is a sideshow we’re watching, well-wrought and exciting.

The ringmaster who guides the action is Hector, played with brash energy, abounding humor, and a firm command of stage and audience, by Jon E. Ross.

The company as a whole is excellent, with some memorable moments provided by Fernando Cruz as Clearnose, a glue addict who waxes poetic about his drug of choice; Fabio Urena as Malo, who directs the cast in a surprisingly funny pseudo-movie about jail rape; and Lucy Vargas in a bitter, sad scene as Sugar, a hooker, abused as a child, who overdoses after being beaten by her pimp.

“The Guntower” examines some of the possible reasons for the macho self-images of two guards in a prison gun tower. It is also well-directed by Colon, with taut, intricate performances by Baron Kelly and John Vargas. Kelly’s opening monologue, a wrenching memory of Vietnam, is repetitive but once he is joined by Vargas, dramatic lines are clear and the action sure.

Other plays in the series are “Cold Beer,” “Paper Toilet” and “Tap Dancing and Bruce Lee Kicks.” Playing nights may vary, so call the theater for schedules. “Miguel Pinero Festival of One-Act Plays,” Nosotros Theatre, 1314 N. Wilton Place, Hollywood. Fridays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 7 p.m. Ends May 2. $15 ($35 all three nights); (213) 465-4167. Running time: 2 hours, 30 minutes.

‘Prisoners’ Boasts Honest Performances

Michael Lewis’ “Prisoners,” at the Flight Theatre, could be called “One Flew Over the Holding Cell.” Halloran, the character the playwright has written for himself, is a latter-day McMurphy, an abrasive tough with a quick sense of humor, innate wisdom and an intelligence that rises above his lifestyle. He even plays a running mental chess game with a bum (Wayne Heffley) he has met in jail many times before, a chain of coincidence as unlikely as the group the fuzz has brought together on this night.

Lewis’ point is that the real prisoners are not inside the jail, but outside, held captive by ignorance, self-importance, etc. The point would be better made through dramatic intercourse than in Heffley’s long opening monologue and in Halloran’s dialogue, despite their very strong performances.

The playwright has a keen ear for natural talk and Ron Burrus’ direction helps to point this up.

The performances are honest as an arrow: Hubert Braddock, cool and understanding as a lawyer in for an unpaid traffic ticket; Butch Hartman as a frat pledge who stole a pizza and is afraid that what he’s heard happens to young prisoners is true; and Joe Colligan, exemplary as a gay drunk, who steers just far enough away from camp to make himself believable. Clifton Gonzalez-Gonzalez and Rhodes Short are the cops, overly friendly types who tax credibility.

“Prisoners,” Flight Theatre, 6472 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood. Fridays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 7 p.m. Ends April 19. $10; (213) 893-7009. Running time: 1 hour, 15 minutes.

‘Dog Plays’ Deals With AIDS’ Toll

“Dog Plays” celebrates, according to a press release, “life in San Francisco’s gay community while dealing with the death, tragedy and loneliness AIDS has brought there.” It could say something important, in this production at the Celebration Theatre, were it not for its pamphleteering tone and the late playwright Robert Chesley’s addiction to monologues.

Of the three playlets, only one brings the heart to its knees as Chesley intended. “Hold” takes place in Dog’s apartment as he stands, himself afflicted with AIDS, staring out at the city, sadly summoning up the image of deceased Lad, one of his great loves. The intertwined monologues are almost dialogue, and give Cole Martin as Lad the evening’s best moment and its best performance. Martin is touching as he recalls the fear that drives him briefly out of the city just before his death.

Under Ron Edwards’ direction, Philip Esposito is very good as Dog, but Conrad A. Corral is totally out of control as Buck, the living ghost of one of Dog’s stricken tricks.

Joe Costanza’s quiet approach as Fido, a chubby loner, is proper as Dog explains to him the self-willed death of Rover, whom Fido worshiped from afar. Lemon-yellow fans fluttering, Geir Ness wafts gracefully about as Rover’s image.

“Dog Plays,” Celebration Theatre, 7051-B Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood. Thursdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 7 p.m. Indefinitely. $15; (213) 660-8587. Running time: 1 hour, 25 minutes.

‘Mary Girard’ Gets Mythic Treatment

It’s possible for relatives to set up a case for committing a family member as deranged. This was easier in the last century and, in 1790, a snap. It’s what happened to Mary Girard. In Lanie Robertson’s “The Insanity of Mary Girard” at the Complex, 18th-Century women were little more than chattel, and Stephen Girard took advantage of that to put his wife, Mary, where she could no longer annoy him.

Robertson’s play is set in a mythic mold, Mary’s asylum mates acting as both a chorus explaining the facts to her and as the people she knew on the outside. Ben Debaldo’s direction doesn’t begin to take advantage of the script’s possibilities. The choral readings are stilted and Debaldo’s staging on the two-level set confused and unable to give the writing the theatricality it deserves.

Anna Carli’s Mary is bland. She little more than frowns when she realizes her fate. Her confrontations with others are rarely beyond conversational. Only at the end, when Mary realizes that commitment frees her from the cruel world, do she and the production show some life.

“The Insanity of Mary Girard,” the Complex, 6476 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood. Thursdays-Sundays, 8 p.m. Ends April 19. $12; (213) 466-1767. Running time: 1 hour, 25 minutes.

‘Passion’ and ‘Wooing’: ‘An Evening of Shaw’

One can almost imagine the light bulb going on over the head of director Shelley Souza when she had the bright idea she could save George Bernard Shaw’s “Passion, Poison and Petrification.” All she had to do was forget Shaw, add slapstick movements, tell the actors they were in an old-fashioned melodrama, glaze it all with cute sound effects and pointless invention.

Director Julie Rifkind sticks closer to the author’s intent in the second play, “Village Wooing,” but doesn’t help her actors (Brian Hickman, Jane Spigarelli as the reluctant couple) achieve much of the style the piece needs. Their British accents seem carried rather than lived in, and though Spigarelli makes a strong effort it’s not the sparkling Shaw it should be.

“An Evening of Shaw,” Tamarind Theatre, 5915 Franklin Ave., Hollywood. Mondays-Wednesday, 8 p.m. Ends April 8. $12; (213) 660-8587. Running time: 1 hour, 55 minutes.