THEATER REVIEWS : ‘PRELUDE TO A KISS’ : A Touch of Fantasy : Local audiences have an opportunity to see this romantic play on stage before the film version is released.

“Prelude to a Kiss,” now at the Plaza Players Theater, may be one of the damnedest plays you’ll ever see.

A romantic comedy with aspects of fantasy, “Prelude” starts with a fleeting first encounter at a cocktail party and moves on normally enough through the couple’s courtship.

And then, things begin to get really weird.

It would be unfair to give away too much--every audience member deserves to be as intrigued and frustrated as were those in the opening night crowd.

Just let it be said that everything does resolve according to the rules set up by author Craig Lucas. There are no loose ends or unanswered questions, so long as one accepts the initial premises.

That is, admittedly, something like accepting the notion of poltergeists, time travel or the abominable snowman.

But it can be done. Look how well the movie “Ghost” did at the box office, and certainly not everybody who enjoyed it actually believes in ghosts.

Lucas’ 1990 Tony-nominated script is--despite some occasionally stilted dialogue--frequently witty, and those twists do keep the audience interested in what’s coming up next.

The disappointing news is that the production under director Michael Maynez is rather threadbare, with one not very elaborate set doing duty as several locations.

Much of the cast seems to have been picked by throwing darts at a list of names: One hapless fellow plays a man old enough to be his father.

And with the woman playing his wife closer to the character’s actual age, no wonder it’s hard to accept him.

And the entire cast seemed under-rehearsed on opening night; unsure of themselves. This should improve.

Leading actress Christy Bell, on the other hand, does well with what turns into a quite complex character: flighty and naive one minute, tough as roast beef at the Sizzler the next.

Cecil Sutton plays Peter, the Canadian beer-drinking young man whose romance with Bell’s character defines the story, and Ted Hertzberg plays a mysterious “Old Man” who pops up, uninvited, at the wedding.

A qualified recommendation, then, for “Prelude to a Kiss.” It’s an intriguing property, and interesting enough on its own merits to warrant the Plaza Players’ relatively low admission charge.

It will also give local audiences an opportunity to see the play before the film version comes out, any day now, with Alec Baldwin (who originated the role off-Broadway) as Peter.

* WHERE AND WHEN

“Prelude to a Kiss” continues Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. through Aug. 1 at the Plaza Players Theater, 34 N. Palm St., in Ventura. Tickets are $7 on Wednesdays, $9 on Fridays and $10 on Saturdays. For reservations or further information, call 643-9460.