Theater : Theater Review : Anatomy of a Love Affair

David Ives’ “Ancient History” at the Fountain is a preciously slight piece about a failed romance.

The play’s director, Randee Trabitz, is perhaps best known for her recent staging of “The Mystery of Irma Vep,” a comedic romp for two performers. “History” is also a two-character piece, and though Trabitz and her attractive performers clearly know their way around a comedy, they never quite skewer their material. Then again, Ives’ play presents a teeny target.

Nicely lit by Kathi O’Donohue, John H. Binkley’s scenic design consists primarily of a large bed, in and about which lovers Ruth (Renee Ridgeley) and Jack (John Michael Morgan) cavort happily and swap intellectual puns, like the true “cogs in the cognoscenti” they are. And in case you didn’t get how much in love they are, they slow dance a lot. It’s kind of like “The Four Poster”--out of wedlock.

But perfection is elusive for this apparently perfect twosome. Ruth, a 35-year-old Jewish woman, wants to get hitched, have kids and raise them in her faith. Jack, a one-time marital loser and ardent socialist, disdains religion and formalized unions. When marriage rears its insistent head, the couple’s common interests are overshadowed by their insurmountable differences.

It’s obvious from the clanging bells that signal the end of each “round”--quick exchanges between the couple--that Ives intends the action to be heightened and metaphoric. Despite flashes of genuine wit, however, Ives’ cloying cuteness hamstrings the emotional later scenes. And Jack’s antique and clumsily espoused socialism seems a dramatically meager pretext, a pebble in the path of true love.

BE THERE

“Ancient History,” Fountain Theatre, 5060 Fountain Ave., Hollywood. Thursdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 7 p.m. Matinees this Sunday and Oct. 10, 3 p.m. Ends Oct. 24. $18-$22. (323) 663-1525. Running time: 1 hour, 30 minutes.