Love’s Baloney

Stuck in that awkward period before full-fledged adulthood sets in, Jason, Melissa, Shane and Alex wait for career breaks and scan the horizon for signs of Mr. or Ms. Right. Meanwhile, they hang out--commiserating, joking and trying to help one another through the tough times.

Though not for everyone, “Is Pepperoni a Vegetable? And Other Mysteries of Love” is an earnest and, for the most part, compelling look at young adulthood by Spare Change Productions, a group of twentysomethings dedicated to plays by and about their generation. This, the troupe’s second production, is written by five company members and presented at the Ensemble Theatre.

At times, “Pepperoni” comes off like an episode of NBC’s Gen-X comedy “Friends,” with its playful characters, snappy lines, goofy behavior and myriad comic and dramatic complications. At other times, it comes off like “When Harry Met Sally . . .” or any of the other movies and TV shows in which best friends may or may not be falling in love.

The action unfolds in an Orange County apartment--furnished in a hodgepodge of hand-me-downs and Salvation Army finds--that is shared by Jason, Shane and Melissa.

Jason (Jason Dugre) is an aspiring actor who’s gearing up to audition for a touring production of “The Tempest,” and he’s trying out the swooningly romantic “I, beyond all limit of what else i’th’ world, do love, prize, honor you” speech on anyone who will listen. That includes Shane (Matt Sparks), an overgrown German shepherd puppy of a guy who jumps on everyone, yaps at the top of his lungs and generally demands to be the center of attention.

When Jason isn’t rehearsing, he tends to stay up late, hovering over giant jigsaw puzzles. So when his old pal Melissa (co-writer Amy Watt) returns from disappointing dates, he’s a convenient and sympathetic listener--and when she despairs of her dream of becoming a photographer, he’s there to urge her on.

Melissa’s pal Alex (Erika Ceporius) is a virtual fourth roommate, knocking about with Melissa and sparring with the guys.

Sparks of one kind or another are always flying, so it’s little surprise when a flame catches between two of these characters.

Unfortunately, the story loses its fizz because the writers--Watt, Anna Terrazas, Christopher Ceballos, Jeffrey Hellebrand and director Oanh X. Nguyen--don’t know when enough is enough. They belabor their points, and even their inspired silliness eventually becomes tiresome. At nearly 2 1/2 hours, the show is a good 45 minutes too long.

Director Nguyen nevertheless keeps the byplay lively, using pillow fights, wrestling matches and a general atmosphere of playful physicality to indicate how comfortable with one another--how much of a family--these four friends are. And despite occasionally forced or awkward moments, the performances are so true to life that we almost feel we are eavesdropping.

By sheer force of will, the Spare Change players succeed in connecting us to these young lives . . . and to our own.

BE THERE

“Is Pepperoni a Vegetable? And Other Mysteries of Love,” Ensemble Theatre, in Olive Heights Center, 844 E. Lincoln Ave., Suite E, Orange. 8 p.m. this Friday and Saturday, then 8 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays. Ends March 15. $15 in advance, $17.50 at the door. (714) 772-4041. Running time: 2 hours, 25 minutes.