Delicate Handling Gives Simon’s ‘Pictures’ Heart Despite Contrived Set-Up

Neil Simon has a rare gift for capturing the funny-sad in life--those moments that tickle the ribs even as they quietly break the heart.

Such moments come much too late in his 1980 play “I Ought to Be in Pictures,” which proved to be a disappointment on stage and a bigger disappointment on screen. Yet in a shimmering revival by McCoy Rigby Entertainment at La Mirada Theatre, the last-minute poignancy nevertheless triggers sniffles aplenty.

This payoff is due almost entirely to Jules Aaron’s stealthily powerful direction and Gregory Itzin’s and Bonita Friedericy’s potently believable performances. These three are among Los Angeles theater’s most consistently watchable talents, and they’re in top form here. Joining them is up-and-comer Amy Brewczynski, who exudes the sort of “Hey, Hollywood--prepare to be bowled over” self-confidence that the story’s marginally successful film types can only dream of.

Set in a scruffy little house in West Hollywood (which comes off a bit too cheery here in Gary Wissmann’s design), “Pictures” tells the tale of a screenwriter who is suffering not only writer’s block but a sort of life block until he receives a surprise visit from the 19-year-old daughter he hasn’t seen in 16 years.

The bottled-up, sleep-deprived screenwriter, Herb Tucker (Itzin), remains in bed as the action begins. So when Libby (Brewczynski) arrives, she is greeted by Herb’s girlfriend, Steffy (Friedericy), who then rushes off on an errand. This leaves Libby to encounter her long-unseen father while he’s still groggy from a sleeping pill and shambling about in grungy, mismatched sleeping attire.

Though rife with comic possibilities, this set-up is so contrived that it all but destroys any possibility of sincerity before the play has properly begun.

Yet from these first, bleary-eyed moments, Itzin--a regular at the Matrix Theatre and an original cast member in “The Kentucky Cycle”--exudes genuineness and warmth.

Herb tries to cover his feelings with jokes, and when that doesn’t work, he turns blustery, especially when his headstrong daughter declares her intent to work in movies. Yet beneath the brittle shell, Itzin reveals a profoundly decent guy who’s just trying to steer his daughter clear of the heartbreak he’s known.

As Libby, Brewczynski achieves a delicate balance between the determined young woman who has hitchhiked cross-country to confront her father and the scared little girl who can’t face any more abandonment.

In a nicely understated performance, Friedericy--a regular at the Colony Theatre--turns her bemused, unflappable Steffy into the calm at the center of this storm.

Aaron has delicately sculpted the action, from the flare-ups that plant Brewczynski’s hands on her hips and send Itzin’s arms windmilling in frustration, to the reconciliations that send them into each other’s arms. It isn’t until Aaron turns a bit too obviously filmic--by lowering the lights and bringing up music--that you realize how thoroughly your emotions have been manipulated.

*

“I Ought to Be in Pictures,” La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts, 14900 La Mirada Blvd. Tuesdays-Fridays, 8 p.m.; Saturdays, 2:30 and 8 p.m.; Sundays, 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. Ends June 17. $35. (562) 944-9801. Running time: 2 hours, 10 minutes.

Gregory Itzin: Herb Tucker

Amy Brewczynski: Libby Tucker

Bonita Friedericy: Steffy Blondell

A McCoy Rigby Entertainment production. Written by Neil Simon. Directed by Jules Aaron. Set: Gary Wissmann. Costumes: Dwight Richard Odle. Lights: Martin Aronstein. Production stage manager: Terry Hanrahan.