Women, Men Totter in ‘Spike Heels’

What is it about women and shoes? In “Spike Heels,” Theresa Rebeck’s urbane (and often profane) comedy at the Victory Theatre, trashy red pumps aren’t mere accessories--they’re symbols of self-definition.

For Georgie (Heidi Mokrycki), a confused legal secretary caught in an updated Pygmalion make-over, outre footwear is the last refuge of her identity. After being groomed for middle-class conformity by her intellectual neighbor Andrew (John Demita), Georgie has discovered the hard way that oppression has only changed appearances with her climb up the social ladder: Her sleazy lawyer boss, Edward (Tim Conlon), is putting the moves on her at work. Meanwhile, Georgie has a crush on Andrew, despite his engagement to Edward’s ex, Lydia (Angela Perry, substituting for Cynthia LaMontagne).

Through all the complications in Steve Muscarella’s briskly paced staging, Georgie finds independence elusive. Whether it’s having sex or reading books, she fumes, she still does what guys tell her.

Georgie may be uneducated, but she’s no dope, and Mokrycki’s tightly focused performance keeps her sympathetic and convincing through every twist in Rebeck’s amusing but sometimes facile tour of sexual tensions between friends, lovers and co-workers. “Spike Heels” contains some clever dialogue and wry insights, but it’s Mokrycki’s magnetic presence that keeps the plot holes from intruding.

Rebeck’s women are consistently better written than her men. The show’s high point is a particularly well-played confrontation between Georgie and Lydia, in which authentic emotional ambivalence bristles beneath the satirical cattiness. In comparison, Andrew and Edward remain formulaic constructs (though Conlon achieves more with his role). Ironically, this validates Rebeck’s point--whatever ground may have been gained in diplomacy between the sexes, it’s still a long way from understanding.

* “Spike Heels,” Victory Theatre, 3326 W. Victory Blvd., Burbank. Thursdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 7 p.m. Ends Dec. 12. $18 to $20. (818) 841-5421. Running time: 2 hours, 20 minutes.