‘Memorandum’: A Fitting Calling Card

Director Carlos Papierski and the cast of Vaclav Havel’s “The Memorandum” at the Complex probably have more of a future in the theater than this satire of office bureaucracy. But even though the play covers terrain that’s been more surgically attacked elsewhere, it serves as a decent calling card for the Ashbury Actors Group.

In a surprisingly stylish production, Papierski has filled the set with desks, computer terminals, pipes and skewered stacks of papers. Combined with actors in plain-wrap office wear and masks by Mark Silence, the ambience is both flavorless and oppressive. And Thomas Germain’s original music underscores the automatons’ anomie.

Yet, throughout this Kafka-esque tale of bosses trying to install a bogus language, it’s the skilled if unseasoned ensemble that keeps the parable moving. None of the actors stand out, but most are able and energetic.

* “The Memorandum,” The Complex, 6478 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood. Thursdays-Sundays, 8 p.m. Ends Dec. 12. $10. (213) 466-1767. Running time: 2 hours, 30 minutes.