‘Breaking Legs’ Offers Laughs That Are Bone Deep

There’s a lot of humanity and insight along with the comedy in Tom Dulack’s “Breaking Legs” at the Long Beach Studio Theatre.

Simply, the story tells how English professor Terence O’Keefe (Jamieson K. Price) is arranging the financing of his new play through the father one of his ex-students, Angie Graziano (Dorothy Elias-Fahn). O’Keefe is fast to accept Angie’s generous offer but slow to catch on that her father, Lou (Bob Fimiani), and his two partners, Mike Francisco (Alan Charof) and Tino De Felice (Steve McCammon), are less than solid citizens.

O’Keefe is especially put off when, after seeing the boys follow supreme loser Frankie Salvucci (Bob Rainey) out of Lou’s restaurant, he learns that Salvucci somehow found his way in front of a speeding train.

But it’s all very funny, and very true to life. Lou, Mike and Tino are Mafiosi to the core--loving their aging mothers, ignoring the illegality of their every move and highly religious, though they rarely enter a church.

If director Ken Rugg doesn’t always reach into the serious undertones of the play, he knows the human comedy that Dulack is writing about and keeps his pacing fast and well-balanced. Rugg also knows the territory inhabited by his Italian bravos, their sense of humor and, despite their manner of livelihood, their basic decency.

This is a special world the playwright has created, specific to location and inhabitants as the preppie-tinged teacher is placed in juxtaposition with the local Mafia (consider the double-edged title, which refers to the theatrical good luck wish--”break a leg”--and to a Mafia method of settling accounts).

On a wonderfully evocative set by John H. Nokes--the cozy back room of Lou’s Italian restaurant--and under Chad Brooks’ excellent lighting design, the actors obviously feel as at home as they do in their roles. Price might overdo the professor’s bumbling at times, but when he is in control, he is right on target as a humble, frustrated teacher reaching for the stars.

There are no missteps for the Grazianos and their cohorts. As the horny daughter, who really runs the restaurant, Elias-Fahn is a gem of unself-conscious humor and sparkling transitions, and Fimiani, as her father, is solidly East Coast Italian ease.

It would be easy for Charof and McCammon to slip into caricatures as the local godfather and his yes man, but neither gets close to the danger line. Charof is honest and appealing as the pussycat in ogre’s clothing who wields all power, and McCammon is very truthful and real as his laid-back flunky. Rob Rainey stands out in his detailed cameo as the nervous, perspiring loser on his way to doom.

* “Breaking Legs,” Long Beach Studio Theatre, 5021 E. Anaheim St., Long Beach. Fridays and Saturdays 8 p.m., April 14 at 2 p.m. Ends April 20. $10. (310) 494-1616. Running time: 1 hour, 50 minutes.

Bob Fimiani: Lou Graziano

Dorothy Elias-Fahn: Angie Graziano

Jamieson K. Price: Terence O’Keefe

Alan Charof: Mike Francisco

Steve McCammon: Tino De Felice

Rob Rainey: Frankie Salvucci

A Long Beach Playhouse production of a comedy by Tom Dulack, directed by Ken Rugg. Scenic design: John H. Nokes. Lighting design: Chad Brooks. Stage manager: Gilbert Solarzano.