Getting Their Acts Together

It’s a pity that local theater groups refuse to coordinate with one another. What might happen if they did was in evidence in Ojai, where two contemporary plays with film-industry settings recently made their local debuts, within a few blocks--and a few weeks--of one another.

Ideally, David Mamet’s “Speed-the-Plow” (whose run concluded last week) and Sam Shepard’s “True West,” still playing, could have run concurrently, and shared promotion. The fact that the two took place at almost the same time isn’t genius, but coincidence.

The leading characters in Shepard’s 1984 play are brothers. Lee, the elder, is a ne’er-do-well, drifter and longtime loser. Compared to him, screenwriter Austin is a paragon of probity and success. Long estranged, the two meet at their mother’s desert home while she’s away on vacation. Austin is working on a new script, which he’s attempting to sell to a producer; Lee drops in, unexpectedly, and begins to take over Austin’s life.

Shepard never figured out how to end the play, but for the just under two hours before that becomes clear to the audience, it’s a lot of fun. And the inconclusive conclusion isn’t too much of a disappointment.

Dwier Brown has the showier part--at least at first--as the cunning manipulator Lee, who almost literally careens off the walls of Juliann Getman’s atmospheric set. But as the comic intensity rises, under Dani Minnick’s shrewd direction, John Diehl’s initially dull Austin comes into his own, most effectively.

Also on hand, in smaller but crucial roles, are Gerald Berns and Charlotte Bronstein.

* “True West” continues through May 24 at Theater 150, 918 E. Ojai Ave., Ojai. Performances are at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 7 p.m. Sundays. Tickets are $20. (805) 646-4300.

Plaza Players Put On the Dog: It looks as if A.R. Gurney’s “Sylvia” is going to be a popular comedy among community theater groups. The Plaza Players’s current production follows one by the Oxnard-based Elite Theatre Company by only a couple of months. (See note about coordination, above.)

When long-married Greg (Jon Riendeau) “adopts” a stray dog, he soon discovers it is easier to communicate with the perky (if rather coarse-mouthed) pooch than with his wife, Cate (on the program as Joanne Lopez-Rojas and Joannafina).

Much of the play’s chances of success are tied to the woman who plays Sylvia, the dog, and who must be engaging and convincing. Judy Walters, playing the role, succeeds on both counts.

Also notable is Victor Williams, who plays three roles: a fellow dog-walker, a (female) friend of Kate and the couple’s marriage counselor. Under the direction of Michael Maynez, the play sails along nicely. It’s the group’s best production in some time.

* “Sylvia” continues through May 24 at the Elks Lodge, 11 S. Ash St. (corner of Main), Ventura. Performances are at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and 2 p.m. Sundays. Tickets are $10; $8 students and seniors. (805) 653-2378.

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The Show Mustn’t Necessarily Go On: The review of Santa Paula Theater Center’s production of “An Inspector Calls,” scheduled to run today, has been postponed in the wake of the last-minute cancellation of Sunday’s performance due to problems backstage. About 40 reservations had to be rescheduled, according to a Santa Paula theater representative. Performances should resume this weekend; those planning to attend should confirm first with the box office.

Contrast this with another local troupe that, when only one person showed up for a recent Sunday performance, went on as scheduled. Not quite the same circumstances, but still . . .

For those awaiting The Word before committing, the Santa Paula review should run May 21.

* “An Inspector Calls” continues through May 31 at Santa Paula Theater Center, 125 S. 7 St. Performances are at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 2:30 p.m. Sundays. Tickets are $12.50; $10 seniors and students; and $6 for children 12 and under. (805) 525-4645. June 5-28, the production moves to Simi Valley Cultural Arts Center, (805) 581-9940.