THEATER REVIEW : ‘More Lost!’: Have a Morbid Christmas

Have yourself a morbid little Christmas at Circus Minimus’ “Lost Christmas Festival II: More Lost!,” a second installment of last year’s anti-Yuletide festival, once again at the Lost Studio.

The program’s consistently bleak mood will linger in the mind after its six individual pieces have been forgotten. Think of solitary pools of light (artfully designed by Sean Forrester) focusing on deeply depressed people, who can’t reconcile their own blues with the red and green atmosphere around them. That’s a “Lost Christmas.”

Not that the evening is humorless. Following an inconsequential curtain-raiser (Mick Collins’ “A Bar Called Hope”), Mickey Swenson’s “What I Really Want for Christmas” is an amusing little sketch. Though they have little else in common, Swenson’s two men (Tim deZarn and Peter Schaaf) really want some sex for Christmas.

The centerpiece of the program is Joseph Goodrich’s “Lives of the Saints.” This is grim stuff, about the intertwining lives of a couple (Swenson, Cinda Jackson) who have a “broken” baby, two coke-sniffing security guards (Jay Arlen Jones, Jeff Daniel Phillips) and a politely crazed, homeless man (Anton Jarvis).

The connections among them aren’t always credible, but the sense of silent anguish is intense, thanks to carefully crafted performances under Goodrich’s direction. Even here, there are a few moments of dark comedy, such as when the marrieds exchange woefully inappropriate gifts.

Neena Beber’s “Area 51,” directed by John Steppling, is a meandering meditation on extraterrestrials, mixed with the earthbound reflections of a Jew who feels guilty for reading the New Testament. It doesn’t add up.

Steppling’s own “The Mouse Seller” concludes the evening with scenes from the meeting of a Germanic snake fancier (Mick Collins), his young assistant (Priscilla Harris) and the young rodent vendor (Stephen Davies) who tries to sell them some snake victuals on Christmas Eve. The python (Mustard) is the center of attention more than the minimal play itself.

Between scenes, the Circus Minimus Dancers shimmy across the stage with set-pieces and exotic outfits, bringing a bit of color into the darkness.

* “Lost Christmas Festival II: More Lost!,” Lost Studio, 130 S. La Brea, Los Angeles. Nightly through Dec. 23, 8 p.m. $10. (213) 933-6944. Running time: 2 hours.