Volume Turned Way Up in Predictable ‘2nd Wind’

In “2nd Wind,” Gene Bua and Toni Bull Bua’s rock musical at the Gene Bua Acting for Life Theatre, the head-miked actors sing to canned music at a decibel level better suited for a stadium than the smallish venue. They scream life-affirming messages, drowning out the pathos of the true-life experiences that inspired this loud, long and predictable piece.

The Gene Bua Acting for Life organization conducted a program working with the physically, emotionally and sexually abused teens in the Penny Lane Residential Treatment Center. Doubtless, there were many stories worth telling, but there are better ways to tell them.

A nameless acting “guru” (Kenny Morse alternating with Gene Bua) returns to Los Angeles after a decade’s hiatus to find his “second wind.”

He has recruited three television celebrity volunteers--a comedian with a dependency problem (Brandon Jarrett alternating with Robert “Bobo” Allen), a male fashion model (Matt Merchant with Davis Mikaels) who’s trying to break into acting and a beauty queen (Marisa Chandler with Alison Ebbert or Kristin Kat) who’s trying to learn how to emote. They are working with a sexually abused girl (Riley Weston and Devon Reeves), a boy with anger management problems (Timbo and Jeremy Hogan) and a twitchy pyromaniac (Ami Angelowicz and Anita Vasan) who are all under the care of their counselor, Ele (Pamela Clay alternating with Kym Vee Foley and Toni Bull Bua).

The transitions between dialogue and musical numbers are awkward. Under the direction of the Buas, the ensemble seems stiff and uncertain, perhaps due to the double, even triple casting of all roles. The voices are strong, and the actors manage some touching moments.

With all the dramatic revelations in the first act, the second act has nowhere to go, a problem the Buas solved with an unconvincing plot contrivance--bringing in a bad guy and a heavy dose of melodrama.

Anyone who’s been in a short-term learning program knows there’s an emotional intensity that builds into a deafening crescendo as the deadline nears. But there’s no need to bankroll the hearing aid industry while attempting to re-create such experiences.

“2nd Wind,” Gene Bua Acting for Life Theatre, 3435 W. Magnolia Blvd., Burbank. Fridays-Saturday, 8 p.m. Ends Sept. 1. $25. (818) 501-8920. Running time: 2 hours 50 minutes.