‘Word of Mouth’ Travels Far on Emotions

You can believe the “Word of Mouth” that James Lecesne’s solo performance piece at the Coast Playhouse showcases a remarkably versatile performer with a discerning eye for personalities, able to switch instantly between male and female, young and old.

Still, his diverse tour of humanity owes more than a passing debt to that Jane Wagner-Lily Tomlin masterpiece, “The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe.” Both works push the envelope of the typically static single-actor format, close-to-narrative momentum. Both employ the loopy framing premise of an offbeat narrator who “tunes in” the other characters--in this case, it’s through a kind of existential radio receiver internalized in Frankie, a New Yorker struggling to escape the clutches of a domineering mother.

One of Lecesne’s best characters, a hilariously dim housewife in search of miracle cures, even plays like a Tomlin impersonation. Not all Lecesne’s characters are as engaging, however. After some initial distractions (a British hospital janitor is one of the weakest), the piece finds solid emotional footing in the extended funny-sad confessions of a teenager coping with his emerging homosexuality. “Not everything finds its way so easy from heart to word of mouth,” as Frankie’s mother warns. But when it does, it’s affecting and eloquent.

* “Word of Mouth,” Coast Playhouse, 8325 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood. Thursdays, Fridays, 8 p.m.; Saturdays, 8 and 10:30 p.m.; Sundays, 7 p.m. No late show this Saturday. Ends Feb. 1. $17.50. (213) 660-8587. Running time: 1 hour, 20 minutes.