Theater Review : Herculean Struggle Ends in Lost ‘Labors’

“The Labors of Hercules,” a first full-length play by David Drummond, takes a swing at the culture wars of the ‘90s. The plot revolves around a scheme to revive a small town’s economic fortunes, and the whole thing comes off like a trade-show skit for bibulous conventioneers.

First-nighters at the Laguna Playhouse’s Moulton Theatre, where the show premiered Thursday, were forced to put in a longish evening and, like Hercules, faced an uphill struggle.

On stage, Drummond’s generic characters square off in an unrelenting quarrel, which pits a whiny arts advocate against a phony budget-minded bureaucrat. Neither one gets much help from the gimmicky writing or playhouse executive director Richard Stein’s lumpish staging.

We meet Maggie, Ms. Bottom Liner, the tough-as-nails, dumb-as-a-board mayor of Sodus, who was elected 12 years ago because she promised never to raise taxes; Mark Trickle, Mr. Politically Correct Do-Gooder, the wimpy, newly arrived administrator of the cultural affairs department; Ms. In-Your-Face Controversial Artist, a cynical vulgarian who calls herself Holo-1.

The fourth character, also generic, hangs around looking ominous. He is Mr. Stealthy-in-Plain-Sight, mayoral assistant Todd, with Machiavellian motives and a storm trooper’s bearing.

As caricatured by Marnie Crossen, Maggie suggests a lame-brained Betty White. She offers all kinds of incentives to close the deal for a waste dump with the Sweet Sand Landfill Corp. This, Maggie believes, will not just replenish the town’s sagging income but will line her own pocketbook as well. A crude modern version of Richard Sheridan’s Mrs. Malaprop, she speaks of “long-term economic salivation” and “physical accountability,” “the manifold destiny” of the American dream and “sheep” that pass in the night. “Only a fool,” she says, “would say no to such a preposition.”

This tiresome sort of wordplay goes on and on with ever-diminishing returns. But the other thankless roles don’t have even that to recommend them.

“Labors” is the familiar stuff of daily news reports, theatrically inflated beyond the limits of journalism. Stein, who is making his playhouse debut as a stage director, admittedly has little material to work with.

The playhouse does revivals almost exclusively, so it’s unfortunate that Stein’s earnest wish to take his less-than-venturesome audience beyond the usual fare of tried-and-true has backfired. The show is handsomely designed, but that’s about all. The patina of topical relevance can’t disguise a piece of flat-footed entertainment.

* “The Labors of Hercules,” Laguna Playhouse’s Moulton Theater, 606 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach. Tuesdays-Fridays, 8 p.m.; Saturdays, 2 and 8 p.m.; Sundays, 2 and 7 p.m. Ends April 7, 2 p.m. $10-$25. (714) 497-2787. Running time: 2 hours.