No There There

When “Into the Woods” was in previews, composer Stephen Sondheim would dash to the parking lot after the first act, explaining to the departing audience that the story, seemingly resolved, would be continued after intermission.

With Lee Blessing’s “Down the Road,” the current Elite Theatre Company production, the opposite might be true: When the lights go up at the end of just under 90 minutes, someone may have to explain that there is no more.

For there is no obvious resolution to Blessing’s 1989 one-act drama; evidently the audience is supposed to figure out for itself what would happen next. But if the playwright doesn’t know, one might whimper helplessly, how should we have a clue?

The setup: Dan and Iris Henniman, husband-and-wife journalists, have been contracted to write a book together. Sounding as though it might have been written after a marathon reading of James Ellroy’s oeuvre (especially “Killer on the Road”), it’s the autobiography of William Reach. A vile serial killer of (mostly) teenage girls, he’s reached the end of his appeal trail and wants his own version of the story on the record.

Iris (Katherine Szyperski) is a seasoned crime writer. Her husband (David Rolland) has been writing for “Business Week,” profiling, he says, another kind of criminal. Reach (Bill McDonald) wants to be interviewed by each separately, leaving whoever’s not in the jail to spend time in the fairly run-down motel in which the couple are living.

During the interviews, Reach--who’s charming in a scary kind of way and clearly smarter than at least one of the journalists--toys with his newest prey. Back at the motel, Iris and Dan contemplate the water heater on a porch across the road, work on having a baby and discuss journalistic ethics. Drama ensues, issues are batted about and Blessing runs out of dramatic steam after about 85 minutes.

Not to suggest that the play and the experience of it are worthless. While it chugs along, as it does under Jim Hatch’s smooth direction, the play makes some points; there are several amusing moments (with that water heater playing a greater role than one might expect); and the acting--particularly McDonald’s riveting performance as the killer--is well worth seeing.

And the lack of a conventional resolution may not bother viewers more sophisticated than Yrs. Truly.

DETAILS

“Down the Road” continues at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays through May 20 at the Petit Playhouse, 730 South B St. in Oxnard’s Heritage Square. Tickets are $12; $10, students and seniors. This play is not recommended for children. For reservations (a good idea; this is a small room) or further information, call 483-5118.

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Auditions for the Cabrillo Music Theatre production of “The Sound of Music” will be held May 20-23 in Thousand Oaks and (for Equity actors only) Burbank. Producers are Rob O’Neill and Mary Beth Cunin; Calvin Rernsberg will direct, with Ilana Eden as music director. All auditions and callbacks will be by appointment only. To schedule an audition or for further information, call 497-8615.

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Teri Garr will read Richard Strand’s “The Median Strip” at 2 p.m. May 6 at the Happy Valley School’s Zalk Theater in Ojai. Ellen DeGeneres will host the event, a benefit for the Ojai Playwrights Conference. Wine and hors d’oeuvres are promised after the reading. Tickets are $50, and the script is described as inappropriate for children. For further information, call 640-0400.

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Todd Everett can be reached at teverett@concentric.net.