Acme Players Get Silly in ‘Snack Cakes’

The Acme Comedy Players achieve a consistent level of inspired silliness in “Acme Snack Cakes,” the group’s first all-new mainstage show at its stylish new facility on La Brea Avenue.

The evening’s 20-odd original comedy sketches range from off-the-wall farce to more restrained, character-driven playlets.

Occasionally, the humor goes over the top and performers wax so strident that one suspects they must have gotten wind of a “Saturday Night Live” scout lurking in the audience. However, occasional missteps are common in the treacherous terrain of sketch comedy, and this group is typically sure-footed.

A particular standout is Ralph Garman, a thinking man’s Jim Carrey with a dizzyingly diverse range of characters, from the downtrodden organist-host of a local television show to Elvis Presley himself, who appears in a hilarious snippet from a “lost” Presley film that has supposedly been rediscovered in the archives.

Others in the very funny cast include Ted Hardwick, Byrne Offutt, Renee Rogers, Jerry Collins, Susie Geiser, Brett Baer, David Finkel and Kate Donahue. Musical director and keyboardist Jonathan Green provides lively accompaniment, and director M.D. Sweeney keeps the pace going like a house a’fire.

* “Acme Snack Cakes,” Acme Comedy Theatre, 135 N. La Brea Ave . , Los Angeles. Fridays-Saturdays, 8 p.m. Indefinitely. $14-$16. (213) 525-0202. Running time: 2 hours.