‘Who Wants Fame?’ Is Cute as a Sitcom

Writer-director Mark Rothman has his roots in the half-hour sitcom, and a television sensibility prevails in “Who Wants Fame?,” a half-baked relationship comedy about an aging actress and a curmudgeonly talent coordinator who meet cute, cheat cute and stay together cute, sans laugh track--or emotional motivation.

Barry Gordon (the recent Screen Actors Guild president and congressional candidate, perhaps best known for “A Thousand Clowns”) plays Earl Perkins, an executive on a morning talk show who expects a promotion to executive producer any day now. Dawn Wells (of “Gilligan’s Island” fame, alternating in the role with Susan Lanier) is Patti Clark, an aging actress who longs for stardom, despite the obvious odds against her.

A steady wage-earner, Earl is the archetypal lonely guy, Patti the hand-to-mouth eccentric who never knew a stranger. The two meet and quickly marry but must make a major adjustment in their relationship when Earl is laid off and Patti, against all expectations, lands a new sitcom that becomes a huge hit.

Rothman’s staging is lively enough. Gordon is amusingly crusty, Wells is engagingly perky, and both play for their laughs like seasoned pros. However, beyond a certain TV Q-appeal, Rothman’s characters are obvious stereotypes, devoid of inner lives or compelling sexual chemistry. The reasons why Patti and Earl fall in love and behave the particular way they do seem knee-jerk, mere setups building to the next laugh--a dynamic that may work for 22 minutes with commercials but wears thin over two hours.

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* “Who Wants Fame?,” Court Theater, 722 N. La Cienega Blvd. Thursdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 3 and 7 p.m. Ends June 27. $22-$27.50. (310) 289-2999. Running time: 2 hours.