‘Light’ Shines More Brightly Than Ever

If you missed the Theatre District’s top-line production of Jim Geoghan’s comedy-drama “Light Sensitive” last year, you’ve got another opportunity. The company is reviving the production, and it’s gotten better with age. It’s a charmer.

The life-affirming plot centers on Tom Hanratty, a New York cabby who was born and raised in Hell’s Kitchen and still lives in the apartment he grew up in.

Eight years before the time of the play, he was blinded when his car battery exploded while he was trying to jump-start best friend Lou D’Marco’s motorcycle. They’re still best friends. Lou has become Tom’s part-time caretaker, and Tom has sunk into a life of static nonexistence.

Lou recently has found a lady-friend and is off to Vermont to a new life. Before he leaves, Lou deposits a reader from the Lighthouse for the Blind on Tom’s doorstep. Edna Miles is disabled, pretty mousy and well-to-do. Her existence is just as static as Tom’s. The results are predictable, but they’re a lot of fun, and the message is holiday-season cheery.

Director Mario Lescot has fine-tuned his staging since last year. It’s tighter and richer, and the sense that this trio blossomed on Manhattan Island is more keen than ever. Tom’s cold-water flat is authentic, as is the aura of the whole production. Lescot’s delicate handling of the New Yorkese rhythms in speech and attitude is flawless.

David Rousseve as Tom, Karen Mangano as Edna and Steve McCammon as Lou repeat their roles and they couldn’t be better. They’ve been living with their characters for a while and seem to have gotten to know them more intimately.

Rousseve’s streetwise brashness, Mangano’s hesitant discovery of Edna’s romantic hunger and McCammon’s vulnerable brashness fit together like a complex jigsaw puzzle.

The play begins on the day before Christmas Eve and ends on New Year’s Eve, and the flavor of New York during the holidays is unmistakable. The final moment is a greeting card to anyone who gets dewy-eyed at the thought of sleigh bells and mistletoe.

* “Light Sensitive,” Theatre District, 2930 Bristol St. (behind The Lab Anti-Mall), Costa Mesa. Fridays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 7 p.m. Ends Dec. 7. $15. (714) 435-4043. Running time: 2 hours, 15 minutes.

David Rousseve: Tom Hanratty

Karen Mangano: Edna Miles

Steve McCammon: Lou D’Marco

A Theatre District production of Jim Geoghan’s comedy-drama. Directed by Mario Lescot. Production manager: Bonnie Vise. Scenic design: Two Blue Chairs Inc. Lighting design: Joe Koonce. Stage manager: Debbie Kissinger.