‘Buddy’s Gift’ Needs to Broaden Its Appeal

Veteran comic Jack Simmons attempts to cross the great divide between stand-up comedy and stand-alone drama in “Buddy’s Gift,” Simmons’ solo homage to his father Buddy, who died of liver cancer at age 73.

As the audience enters the Coronet Studio Theatre’s small space, Simmons affably welcomes all comers. Once he takes the stage, however, Simmons seems initially stiff, both in his demeanor and his material.

Simmons opens with a few generic comments about the lack of paternal role models in modern society, then launches into a daunting, episodic chronology about his sprawling Irish American clan, the sister who died at birth, the death of his father’s best friend, and so forth.

Under Candy Kaniecki’s direction, Simmons labors through this long and exhaustive setup with few ameliorating chuckles. It is only when Simmons recounts Buddy’s diagnosis of cancer and his closely knit family’s deathbed vigil that the play gains momentum. Buddy’s gallant humor in the face of death is heroic, and the details of his passing are lovingly rendered by his son. Also of interest is the supernatural twist Simmons’ tale takes, the eerie “signs” that Buddy purportedly sends his loved ones from beyond the grave as tokens of his continuing presence in their lives.

Otherwise, Simmons errs in assuming that this memory book, however lovingly assembled, will appeal to those beyond his own immediate circle. Perhaps a rewrite could rectify some problems, starting with that long and laborious setup. For now, however, the play remains a small and particularized document, more a family souvenir than a gift.

* “Buddy’s Gift,” Coronet Studio Theatre, 366 N. La Cienega Blvd., Los Angeles. Thursdays-Saturdays, 8:30 p.m.; Sundays, 2:30 p.m. Ends April 1. $20. (310) 657-7377. Running time: 1 hour, 30 minutes.