Creation, Take 2

A glimpse of paradise comes cheap at the Costa Mesa Studio Gallery. Theatergoers are getting a tilted look for $10, and that even comes with champagne and a little cheesecake.

“Developing the Garden: The Fall of Orange County,” is a localized take on the Garden of Eden. Satan (played by Gordon McGrath) tempts the ever-gullible Eve (Jimmie Russell) with the Fruit of the Tree of Knowledge (in this case, an orange tree).

The ersatz theater, in an industrial complex, is unconventional by most playhouse standards. Before the performance, the crowd of 60 or so mills about the gallery’s showroom, checking out James Iansiti’s art, sipping refreshments and listening to live classical piano.

Minutes before curtain, they’re invited inside the warehouse that’s been converted into a stage complete with a waterfall and grotto and a diorama depicting the Corona del Mar curve to the Saddleback Mountains.

During this recent performance (with Satan decked out in a diamond-studded Rolex and extolling the glories of cosmetic surgery, and Eve done up in an unforgiving leotard), the audience took its cue from interactive extravaganzas such as “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.” Several folks got into the flow, calling out warnings such as “Don’t eat the fruit!”

The one-act play is scheduled to run through May 26.