Theater Reviews : Nosotros’ ‘Chicken’ a Courtroom Play About Indigestion

If “L.A. Law” could broadcast an episode about bull semen, why can’t Nosotros Theatre stage a courtroom drama about flatulence? Perhaps this is the motivation behind “The Chicken Mole Trial,” Bob Herrera’s definitive exploration of indigestion caused by Mexican food.

A weeping Chamelia Rodriguez (Julia Vera) is suing Gorda Gomez (Ruth Ortiz), claiming that her former best friend sabotaged her marriage and stole her husband. Who else would have slipped a dreaded Mexican laxative into the Chicken mole, hospitalizing 235 wedding guests with “Montezuma’s Revenge”?

Expert prosecution witnesses include Dr. Osmo Oswald (Jerry Hyde), “the foremost authority on flatulence” and author of “A Movement in Time.” Healer Chacha La Bruja (Chi Chi Navarro) also testifies for the prosecution, but after she enters a trance and curses the opposing attorney (Melissa Licker) with “Thunder Thighs . . . feel the sagging of your butt!” our sympathies are with the defense.

Under Vera’s burlesque direction, the 15-actor ensemble labors mightily to create a Rabelaisian farce; in the end, the pressure to generate laughter only backfires.

“The Chicken Mole Trial” is a sitcom in search of a television outlet, but airing such sexist, misogynistic, infantile and obscene material could necessitate a sequel in a real court. Consumers might sue for defamation of artistic license.

* “The Chicken Mole Trial,” Nosotros Theatre, 1314 N. Wilton Place, Hollywood. Thursdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 7 p.m. Ends May 1. $10-$8 (213) 465-4167. Running time: 2 hours.