‘His-panic Breakdown’ a Sensitive Romp

Place a man on the edge of an abyss, staring down into the unknown. Make his past checkered, his future uncertain. Heap the opprobrium of society upon him. In short, push him to the verge, and what do you get? Drollery. Raillery. Whimsy. A fair degree of poignancy.

It’s all in how you look at things, as playwright Guillermo Reyes demonstrates in “Men on the Verge of a His-panic Breakdown” at the Celebration. A series of sketches based on the experience of gay Latino immigrants in America, Reyes’ play is a romp with a sensitive core, caustic without being mean-spirited, outrageous without lapsing into stereotype.

Felix A. Pire plays all the various characters. We meet an irrepressible young newcomer, with stars in his eyes that can’t be poked out by harsh reality. An aging West Hollywood “kept boy,” thrown out by his serial seducer “sugar daddy,” now faces life on the streets. A Phoenix-based Cuban restaurateur recalls his days in Castro’s homosexual concentration camps. Near death, a drag queen flamenco star suffering from AIDS prepares for her grand finale.

An actor of formidable range, Pire is a human buzz saw whose over-the-top comic gusto complements Reyes’ flamboyant artistry.

In a one-man show, it’s often difficult to determine where the performer’s personality ends and the director’s input begins. Director Joseph Megel’s contribution is palpable, particularly in the amusing transition sequences between monologues. Leonard Pollack’s ingenious set and costumes are showstoppers in themselves.

In “Men on the Verge of a His-panic Breakdown,” Reyes and Pire push us over the brink but cushion our fall with laughter.

* “Men on the Verge of a His-panic Breakdown,” Celebration Theatre, 7051 Santa Monica Blvd, Hollywood. Mondays-Tuesdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 2 p.m. Ends June 28. (Dark this Sunday . ) $10. (213) 660-TKTS. Running time: 1 hour, 45 minutes.

Karen Black’s Offbeat ‘View’

Karen Black’s one-woman show “A View of the Heart” at LunaPark is an unleashed onslaught of song and monologue badly in need of a choke chain.

Despite the show’s lack of discipline and theme, Black herself displays a raw power and charisma that makes one wonder why she hasn’t been seen more frequently in recent films and on the stage.

Although it wanders offbeat at intervals, Black’s voice is a revelation. Her renditions of the Beatles’ “Eleanor Rigby,” David Bowie’s “Time” and the sweetly sad folk song “Noah’s Dove” are particularly assured. Musical director Marty Buttwinick heads up the tight little combo that backs Black.

The monologues are drawn from a wide variety of sources, including such classics as William Faulkner’s “As I Lay Dying” and Katherine Anne Porter’s “Pale Horse, Pale Rider.” Black herself penned much of the material, including a couple of original songs.

Director Robin McKee could have guided Black’s desultory ramblings to more purpose, but the actress’s quirky eclecticism prevails over lack of form. A whirligig, Black may spin all over the place, but she is pretty in motion.

* “A View of the Heart,” LunaPark, 665 N. Robertson, West Hollywood. Tonight at 8; expected to return for a longer run in September. $15. (310) 652-0611. Running time: 1 hour, 30 minutes.