Young Playwrights Display Their Talent

The writers responsible for “Young Playwrights Mainstage 95,” sponsored by the Blank Theatre Company, are all 17 or 18 years old--ripe ages for an actor or rock star, perhaps, but pretty young indeed for a playwright.

This bill at the Hudson Theatre of three one-acts--chosen from winners of a local playwriting competition--proves that theatrical talent can be evident at that early age. Unfortunately, so can many of the problems that dog far more experienced dramatists.

The most successful effort by far is “Bob and Marsha,” Austin Winsberg’s gifted and very funny look at the bumpy courtship of a conventionally minded author (Ron Louis) and a headstrong young feminist (Brenda Slaughter). Though saddled with a schmaltzy upshot, the piece sings with terrific dialogue that recalls the best Woody Allen comedies. Jeremy Green directed.

In Stephen Kaplan’s “Self-Addressed,” directed by Dan Harper, a gay teen-ager (Daniel Henning) writes a letter to his dead father (Matt McKenzie), who materializes for an imaginary heart-to-heart talk. The piece, though sincere and sometimes touching, is far too predictable.

Lin Ann Ching wrote “A Red Room on Beacon Street,” in which a troubled woman (Marie Chambers) relives memories of a date rape years earlier. Director Henning is able to salvage neither the wildly uneven tone nor the all-but-incoherent narrative.

* “Young Playwrights Mainstage 95,” Hudson Theatre, 6539 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood. Mondays-Wednesdays, 8 p.m. Ends Aug. 30. $15. (213) 660-8587. Running time: 2 hours, 40 minutes.