Dysfunction, Romance in ‘Light Sensitive’

The Theatre District isn’t a section of town, but a company that moved from CostaMesa to the former Cast Theatre in Hollywood. Its first production there is its usual holiday offering, “Light Sensitive.” Mario Lescot’s crisp direction and nuanced performances keep Jim Geoghan’s piece from wilting under sentimental sappiness.

Eight years ago, Thomas (David Rousseve) was blinded in an accident. Since then, he’s been holed up in his Hell’s Kitchen apartment--throwing his empty beer cans on the floor and filling his bathtub with his unpaid bills. His friend, Lou (Steve McCammon), has read his mail and marked his dollar bills for identification. But Lou is moving to Vermont. On the day before Christmas Eve, Lou brings his replacement, Edna (Karen Mangano), a volunteer who reads to the blind.

Predictably, romance blooms between Thomas and the lonely Edna. The debris-strewn set by Two Blue Chairs Inc. becomes a cozy home by New Year’s Eve. But Lou’s sudden return threatens to break the illusion of Edna’s beauty that Thomas has created. Geoghan shows there can be compassion in lies--and humor in the trials of dysfunctional families--even during the holidays.

All of the actors hit the right notes in the Theatre District’s sixth production of Geoghan’s play. Mangano’s Edna finds inner courage and flutters with hopeful love. Rousseve’s self-involved slob is transformed into a tentative suitor. McCammon’s Lou is good intentions with rough edges. Geoghan’s play is less about the holidays than it is about two lonely hearts opening to the possibility of love.

* “Light Sensitive,” Theatre District at the Cast, 804 N. El Centro, Hollywood. Thursdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 7 p.m. Dark Dec. 21-24. Ends Jan. 14. $15-$20. (323) 957-2343. Running time: 2 hours.