‘Butterflies Are Free,’ but They Still Need Direction

Leonard Gershe’s 1960s comedy “Butterflies Are Free” is one of those plays so much of its period that it would be folly to update it. Director Tom Titus lets it stay in the ‘60s in his staging for the Irvine Community Theatre, but he also manages to make it look like less of a play than it really is.

Don Baker is blind. He has left his home in Scarsdale and his possessive mother, Florence, to live alone in Manhattan. Within a month, he has met a kooky neighbor, Jill Tanner, who begins to give him the will to remain independent at any cost. When Mom drops purposefully in to check on her son, his cold-water flat and hot-blooded neighbor persuade her to drag him home at any cost.

Certainly, in Neil Simon style, everything works out well for all concerned, but on the way there are some delicate emotional balances to deal with against a background of ‘60s thinking and mores. When they are handled with compassion and depth, “Butterflies” can make for a rewarding evening.

But there are few rewards in Titus’ bloodless staging, and it’s not the actors’ fault. Timothy Pacific has a sense of innocence and an intelligent warmth that are just right for Don. He also manages to appear actually blind, a neat trick for any actor. In the beginning, Sara St. James is starchy and stuffy as Florence, as she should be, yet she lets the wisdom of her love for Don shine through just enough to explain her turn-about decision at the end.

As neighbor Jill, Becky Williams has a refreshing naivete and energy that belong to the period, but they make the character childish instead of kooky, coy rather than honestly liberal. Jim Rizza, as the dim bulb of an avant-garde theater director who almost lures Jill away, is merely a caricature, and overdone at that.

*

Titus might have guided Williams and Rizza into more truthful guises, but he didn’t. He also hasn’t given his production any of the energy it needs. Most of the action is on one note, the dialogue often is lifeless and the actors don’t seem to be communicating, merely reading lines.

Pacific and St. James bring one scene to life, their confrontation in the second act. Titus must not have been watching.

* “Butterflies Are Free,” Irvine Community Theatre, Turtle Rock Community Park, Irvine. Fridays (except Aug. 25) and Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sunday, Aug. 13, 2 p.m. Ends Aug. 26. $8. (714) 857-5496. Running time: 2 hours, 15 minutes. Timothy Pacific: Don Baker

Becky Williams: Jill Tanner

Sara St. James: Florence Baker

Jim Rizza: Ralph Austin

An Irvine Community Theatre production of a comedy by Leonard Gershe, produced by Wil Thompson, directed by Tom Titus. Costumes: Sara St. James. Sound/lighting design: Peter Kearney. Stage manager: Mindy Titus.