THEATER REVIEW : Dated, but Lively : ‘Emily’ lacks some of the insight it had a decade ago. But it still provides laughs and tugs at the heart.

When Stephen Metcalfe’s “Emily” premiered at San Diego’s Old Globe in the mid-1980s, it had witty insight into the liberated woman of its day. Emily is a stockbroker, manfully holding on to her place in a male world. She trades grope for grope with her buddies, along with sexual innuendo and her own form of sexual harassment.

In the current staging at Studio City’s Two Roads Theatre, almost a decade later, it all looks a little dated. Today, Emily would have a chain of harassment suits in process--from both directions--and her indecision between a career and marriage probably would not exist.

In spite of the period-specific tone, Metcalfe’s sense of humor and his kinky approach to a cliche situation still gets its laughs and still tugs the heart at the right moments.

Without a proper Emily, the script would fall apart. Lauren Fresh holds it together with ease. If she’s a little less sharp around the edges than the early ‘80s would have made Emily, she makes up for it with her own sense of humor and her clear view of what makes Emily tick. She knows where the subtle changes in Emily’s attitude are, and makes them naturally and honestly.

Director Darrell Rooney also knows where those changes are and how to frame them in the actions and attitudes of the rest of the cast. Besides selecting the right actress to play Emily, Rooney has also made an on-target choice for John, the out-of-work actor who has Emily questioning all her values. As John, Neil Nash has the warmth, charm and looks that would make Emily look twice, and Nash’s quiet strength is the perfect counterbalance for Emily’s outrageous maneuvering.

The other actors all double with fine energy, but Kathleen Arc and Dan Cashman stand out as Emily’s bitterly divorced parents, and Steve Blackwood, Tom Hale, Loren Bass and James White are fine as her macho cohorts. Karen Getz has some very funny moments as Emily’s romantically out-of-luck friend Hallie.

Where and When What: “Emily.” Location: Two Roads Theatre, 4348 Tujunga Ave., Studio City. Hours: 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays. Ends June 12. Price: $12. Call: (310) 281-1706.