Post-Cold War Life in Tamarind’s ‘Nebraska’

First produced at La Jolla Playhouse in the summer of 1989, Keith Reddin’s “Nebraska” at the Tamarind Theatre is a fascinating and humorous take on the post-Cold War political climate explored through the microcosm of a U.S. military base in rural Nebraska.

Reddin thinks globally but writes locally. The military personnel marooned on this remote outpost are hardly on the cutting edge of world affairs. But there is a nuclear silo on the base. And however pastoral and bucolic the setting, the knowledge of that awesomely destructive force hangs in the air along with the constant haze of cigarette smoke.

Yes, USAF Lt. Dean Swift (Tom Provost) smokes. Swift drinks. He even cheats on his wife. But that’s not why Swift feels so anxious and uncertain. (What’s a little fooling around when you’re dealing in terms of global annihilation?) It’s just that now, with the “evil empire” of Russia effectively neutralized, Swift is having trouble feeling like a good guy.

For Swift, the absence of moral certainty has resulted in a pervasive moral malaise, an endemic affliction on this military base. Swift has lost his crucial ability to view the world in black and white absolutes, a career-breaking deficit.

Director Henry Polic II uses isolation as a key metaphor in his effectively disorienting staging. Russell Pyle’s purposely ugly set and moody lighting further contribute to the atmosphere of dread and alienation.

Not that there aren’t laughs as well, and the actors know how to play the comic rhythms in this very black comedy. The fine cast includes Provost, Suzanne McKenney, Ed Beechner, Christopher V. Alessi, Christy Noonan and Patricia Tallman. Greg Allan Martin is heartbreaking as the hapless Maj. Jack Gurney, a man destroyed by his own inflexible goodness.

* “Nebraska,” Tamarind Theatre, 5919 Franklin Ave., Hollywood. Thursdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 7 p.m. Ends July 17. $15. (213) 466-1767. Running time: 2 hours.

‘Charlemagne’ on Transforming Roles

Sarah Miles’ “Charlemagne” at the Fountain is a charged examination of transvestism and transsexualism that narrowly avoids melodrama.

Blue-blooded beauty Clara (Jan Cobler) desperately longs for an heir to keep her family estate intact. The title of the play refers to Clara’s prize horse, a former champion who has recently been put out to stud.

At times, Clara’s husband, Harry (Hans Tester), feels like a prize stud himself. However, the pressures on Harry are not all procreative. An actor, Harry likes to dress up--and not just for his latest role.

When Clara finds out that Harry frequently bedecks himself in women’s clothing and goes out on the town, she’s alternately disgusted, perplexed and guilt-ridden. Even Clara’s best friend Lilibet (Lynn Ann Leveridge), an inveterate yenta, cannot oil the waters of this troubled marriage--especially after Harry realizes that he is actually a transsexual and starts taking steps toward his ultimate goal of becoming a woman.

The plot may sound like the topic of a daytime talk show, and indeed Miles (best known as an actress in such films as “Ryan’s Daughter” and “The Sailor Who Fell From Grace With the Sea”) treads a fine line between emotionalism and bathos. However, Miles’ elegant language and splendid sense of dramatic irony salvage this, her first full-length play, from being yet another aberration-of-the-day.

Robert W. Zentis’ cozy British cottage set makes one want to book the next flight to Heathrow. Director Ted Weiant renders Miles’ vision with sensitivity and humor, neatly avoiding any trace of camp. Tester, Cobler and Leveridge avoid similar pitfalls throughout, tempering Miles’ brittle, frequently facile dialogue with sincerity and restraint. Tester, especially, negotiates a particularly difficult role without a misstep--even while wearing six-inch heels.

* “Charlemagne,” Fountain Theatre, 5060 Fountain Ave., Hollywood. Thursdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 7 p.m.; Saturday matinees, 3 p.m. Ends July 16. Dark June 19 and July 10. $15-$17.50. (213) 663-1525. Running time: 2 hours, 20 minutes.