‘Curtains’ Draws on Heartfelt Laughs

When a family gathers to celebrate its ailing matriarch’s 86th birthday, the senile, suffering guest of honor makes it clear she wants her candles blown out--permanently.

In “Curtains,” a funny but predictable comedy about death, denial and the ethics of euthanasia, at the International City Theatre, British playwright Stephen Bill ekes a fair amount of heroic laughter out of a familiar subject. Thanks to an inspired treatment by director Richard Hochberg and his unflinchingly honest cast, the laughs are never cheap.

This honesty is reflected throughout the production, from the lived-in shabbiness of David Wisniewski’s beautifully detailed set to Gina Davidson’s contemporary costumes. Playing it straight is key here, and despite a certain inherent broadness in their characters, the actors never descend to caricature.

Not that this isn’t a bracingly barmy lot. The uniformly deft cast includes Brenan Baird as a frustrated gentleman farmer; Gail Godown as his hilariously high-strung wife; Christopher Jaymes as the youthfully self-righteous grandson; Bette Rae as the meddlesome neighbor; Edmund Schaff as the stuffy, self-serving son-in-law; and Jacqueline Stehr as the daughter who nobly risks all to spare her mother pain. Wonderful Cynthia Mason plays Ida, whose heartfelt pleas to end her attenuated life engage our sympathy--and outrage.

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* “Curtains,” International City Theatre, Clark Street and Harvey Way, northeast corner of Long Beach City College. Fridays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 2 p.m. Ends Sept. 6. $22. (562) 938-4128. Running time: 2 hours.