Some Revealing ‘Particulars’ About Discounted Culture

It would be so easy for playwright Ed Simpson to tease or mock his humble characters into submission in “Additional Particulars,” at Third Stage. But Simpson, whose previous “Elephant Sighs” (also staged by this show’s director, Michael Lilly) had numerous admirers, is interested in the larger human comedy, and his new play is human comedy par excellence, as if Chekhov were reincarnated in America’s Wal-Mart culture.

Act I observes Glenda, a mousy employee (Susan Mackin) of the Save-a-Bundle discount market in Randolphsburg, Pa., and how she deals with an unexpected visit from Warren, the store’s dryly efficient assistant manager (David Wells). They seem ludicrously shy around each other, but that’s because they’re lonely hearts starved for sex and excitement, and Simpson’s sympathy and affection for their weaknesses are signs of that rare combination of a humanist with a genuine sense of humor.

Warren’s a company man who despises what he views as the obscene laziness of the store’s warehouse supervisor, Raymond (Jack Kehler), who shares the stage in Act II only with younger underling Kenny (Kirk Baily). These are men living lives of punctured dreams and grinding tragedy, revealed only when they’re confronted with the absurd task of moving a mountain of boxes from one side of the room to the other. There’s Chekhov here, and a bit of Beckett too, which Lilly’s cast deepens with brilliant timing and empathy.

Just as one set of characters departs for another, between acts, so James Henriksen’s set dramatically changes from Glenda’s homely living room to Save-a-Bundle’s drab, box-choked warehouse.

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* “Additional Particulars,” Third Stage, 2811 W. Magnolia Blvd., Burbank. Thursdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m. Ends July 1. $15. (818) 842-4755. Running time: 2 hours.