Odd Seatmates

Park bench plays have two obstacles to overcome: First is convincing us that the people at the park bench have a reason to talk to each other, and second is avoiding any comparison to that hulking giant of park bench plays, “Zoo Story,” by Edward Albee.

Karen Lapidus’ pair of one-acts at Actors Workout, “The Nature of Fire” and “Dance of the Moth,” face up to the obstacles, but don’t always overcome them.

They couldn’t be at a more aptly named theater, for these are truly actors’ pieces, with the simplest of lighting schemes (by Andrea Housh) and, of course, a simple park bench. It’s just Lora Zane directing Yvonne Suhor as ex-con daughter Dannie, and Sandra Kinder as her Okie mama Rita in “The Nature of Fire.” Stevie Johnson directs John Frey as loquacious Joseph, and Lapidus as stand-offish Melissa in “Dance of the Moth.” What we have here are the actors, and the words.

What we also have are two pieces which really don’t go together. With “Fire,” Lapidus has worked out what she wants to say, and how she wants to tell her story. Above all, her logic for having her characters at a bench is iron-clad: Rita has asked daughter Dannie to meet her at a neutral spot--this being their first meeting in years, since Dannie fatally shot her sister.

It’s a situation primed for fireworks, and they eventually come. You can feel Suhor and Kinder, two natural actors who make it easier than it looks, burdened by the sheer weight of the play’s expository dialogue. But Suhor and Kinder maintain enough energy to deliver strong emotional spikes, the daughter and mother uncomprehending of the other’s pain and memory.

While Lapidus has thought through these women, she hasn’t at all figured out Melissa in “Dance.” Precisely because Melissa isn’t openly sociable, she seems an unlikely candidate for striking up a conversation with stranger Joseph, a guy who seems a little loopy. A woman like Melissa, seeking a private spot at which she can do some journal writing, would be out of there in a heartbeat.

But no. Melissa stays, and Joseph is soon reminding us of babbling Jerry in “Zoo Story.” He’s not a maniac like Jerry, but he dominates space and language, mixing charm with intimidation like Albee’s character.

If Lapidus meant to give us a more sympathetic Joseph, she’s not getting him with the dark, handsome Frey, who doesn’t have a handle on Joseph’s frozen adolescence. To make matters worse, her Melissa--who’s from the Valley--keeps letting him insult her roots. We’re not sure what’s worse: cliches about the Valley intended as humor or a dialogue between people who have no business talking to each other.

BE THERE

“The Nature of Fire” and “Dance of the Moth” at Actor’s Workout, 4735 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood. 8 p.m. Fri.-Sat.; 2 p.m. Sun. Ends Sun. $10-$12. (818) 506-3903.