A Light, Frothy Staging of ‘Sisters’

Watching a Wendy Wasserstein play is sort of like reading a year’s supply of Cathy Guisewite’s comic strip, “Cathy.” Although the plays aren’t autobiographical, there is a great deal of the author in them. The protagonists are beleaguered women, single or unhappily involved, always bright and generally adventuresome, and they wind up happy.

Wasserstein’s “The Sisters Rosensweig,” in a revival at Newport Theatre Arts Center in Newport Beach, is no exception.

Pfeni Rosensweig, 40, is a successful, probing journalist having a long-standing affair with a bisexual male. She is in London for the birthday of elder sister Sara Goode, an even more successful banker with the Hong Kong Bank. Goode is an adjusted but unhappy widow with a daughter as wild as Aunt Pfeni. The third sister, Dr. Gorgeous Teitelbaum, is also there, on leave from Boston and her radio advice program. The trio is more to be pitied than enjoyed.

Wasserstein is a sort of distaff Neil Simon, without the one-liners, but with solid craftsmanship and the ability to slip in serious moments when necessary: in this case, Pfeni’s bisexual lover’s realization that he “misses men,” Sara’s panicky one-night stand with a widower from the States, and Dr. Gorgeous’ confession that her marriage is in shards.

This is a totally enjoyable staging of the play under the direction of Darlene Hunter-Chaffee, who keeps most of it as light as meringue and as frothy. When the serious moments come, she knows how much restraint to use, and the final scenes, when the sisters cuddle in togetherness, are charming.

The sisters--Beth Titus as Sara, Marsha Collins as Gorgeous and Terra Shelman as Pfeni--are all well-defined, although there are times when Shelman becomes too dark for the general mood. Oriana Nicole Tavoularis is exemplary as Sara’s daughter Tess, who is becoming more like her aunt every day.

Michael Flaherty’s Mervyn, the widower who stays the night with Sara but has more serious plans in store, is warm and charming and hits all the right notes. But neither director Hunter-Chaffee nor Michael Meagher as Pfeni’s boyfriend have connected with his character’s bisexuality. Meagher is way too campy in the role--not a type Pfeni would fall for, making his “missing men” less the bombshell than Wasserstein meant it to be.

As Tess’ activist boyfriend, Tom Valiunus, whose Lithuanian ancestry is pulling them both to the political troubles in that country (the year is 1991), Jeremy Selden is good but a bit too laid-back. Tony Grande is as stodgy as he should be as a friend of Sara’s.

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* “The Sisters Rosensweig,” Newport Theatre Arts Center, 2501 Cliff Drive, Newport Beach. Thursday-Saturday, 8 p.m.; Sunday, 2:30 p.m. Ends April 25. $13. (949) 631-0288. Running time: 2 hours, 30 minutes.

Oriana Nicole Tavoularis: Tess Goode

Terra Shelman: Pfeni Rosensweig

Beth Titus: Sara Goode

Michael Meagher: Geoffrey Duncan

Michael Flaherty: Mervyn Kant

Marsha Collins: Gorgeous Teitelbaum

Jeremy Selden: Tom Valiunus

Tony Grande: Nicholas Pym

A Newport Theatre Arts Center revival of Wendy Wasserstein’s comedy. Produced by Brenda Abshear and Jeanne Nininger. Directed by Darlene Hunter-Chaffee. Scenic design: 16th Street Design. Lighting design: Bob Ashby. Costume design: Tom Phillips. Stage manager: Barbara Ashby.