Multiple Issues Hamper ‘Boy Girl Boy Girl’

Matt Winch’s “Boy Girl Boy Girl” at the Black Box is a promising comedy about a battle of the sexes played out at a disastrous dinner party, with a few too many misguided skirmishes.

Lovesick Marty (Alex Ferrer) wastes his time writing love letters to the woman (Brie Arbaugh) who left him more than a year ago. His roomie, Ernie (understudy Patrick McGuire replacing Peter Paul at the performance reviewed), drags him on a double date. Their other roomie and resident Lothario, Todd (Corey Shane Love), comes along. Sally (Shauna Womack) hopes that Ernie is “the one,” while her roomie, Linda (Yvette Thor) decides a little fling might spice up her dead-end six-year relationship with an unattentive boyfriend. Arri (Abby Schachner) prefers casual sex to real intimacy, and her lack of interest naturally attracts Ernie and Todd.

The sextet guzzles red wine. Arri introduces some marijuana, and Linda dances in sexual invitation. Mike Leigh showed that drunken bad manners could be sharp social satire, but Winch’s play isn’t as clearly focused as “Abigail’s Party.” Winch attempts to address too many issues--game-playing strategies of both genders, manipulative friendships, date rape, meddling mothers and the unpredictable nature of love.

Director Ethan Kanfer could tighten the pace. The scenes of conversation between isolated couples during the dinner are static.

After all the posturing, it’s not the game players who win. A nice moral, but with so much meandering, the audience doesn’t win either.

*

* “Boy Girl Boy Girl,” Black Box, 12420 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles. Fridays-Saturdays, 8 p.m. Dark May 25-26. Ends June 9. $10. (310) 979-7078. Running time: 2 hours, 45 minutes.