Difficult ‘Emigrants’ goes deep

First produced in 1975, “The Emigrants,” by eminent Polish playwright Slawomir Mrozek, conceals a cargo of sly social protest under a layer of philosophical obtuseness. As with much drama from the Cold War-era Eastern bloc, the play is unwieldy, laborious and pointedly discursive, a kind of coded message intended to blind the watchdogs of totalitarianism to its subtly dissident themes.

Director Neno Pervan, working from a translation by Henry Beissel, effectively tightens the dialectic of Mrozek’s often rambling two-person play in his crisp and no-frills staging. Neatly skirting caricature at every turn, Tim Choate and Zoran Radanovich convey their characters’ comical desperation without pandering to their obvious absurdities.

Choate plays AA, a political dissident from an unnamed country who has fled to another unnamed country, where he lies low -- literally -- in a squalid basement flat (Lada Pervan’s nicely realized set) that he shares with his countryman XX (Radanovich). In dramatic contrast to the cerebral AA, XX is a brutish laborer who hopes to make a fortune abroad and return home in glory to his wife and children someday. Yet, as the play progresses, it becomes obvious that both are as trapped in their present circumstances as night crawlers in a roach motel.

In essence, the play is simply a prolonged conversation, starting with prosaic observations about bus stops and insects and progressing to a penetrating discussion about the roles of slaves and masters in a dictatorship. Bitter arguments follow at every twist in topic, and violence threatens to erupt at every turn.

Not for escapists, this is difficult material, well done by a capable company. Arduous and at times difficult to follow, it may reward those who brave its obscurities.

-- F. Kathleen Foley

“The Emigrants,” Coronet Studio, 366 N. La Cienega Blvd., Los Angeles. Jan. 9-11, 8 p.m. Ends Jan. 11. $18. (310) 657-7377. Running time: 1 hour, 40 minutes.

*

Shakespeare rides the wild range

Many a casual punster might have been content with a comic riff on John Wayne as the Duke in “As You Like It,” but it took a true devotee of the genre to map western movie icons onto every character in Shakespeare’s classic comedy.

Jaz Davison’s inventive staging concept mines goofy, unexpected laughs in “As Ya Like It ... Pardner” at Pasadena’s Knightsbridge Theatre.

That the script actually calls for two Dukes poses no problem; Derik Van Derbeken proves equally capable portraying the usurper Duke as the stiff, U.S. Cavalry-suited Wayne of “Red River” and the banished good Duke as the more affable, pastoral Wayne of “She Wore a Yellow Ribbon.”

Other inspired associations include a stuttering Jimmy Stewart (John Gorman) as the timid romantic doormat Silvius and Melancholy Jaques reinvented as that archetypal loner Alan Ladd (Jesse Harper) -- cries of “Jakes! Jakes!” echoing at his departing figure slyly spoof the ending of “Shane.”

Even peripheral characters are fair game: The aged servant Adam becomes a crotchety Walter Brennan in Rich Williams’ spot-on vocal impersonation, the prankster Touchstone is a befuddled Ken Curtis (Art Oden) and the wrestler Charles (Clint Von Hummel), bested by the hero Orlando in an early scene, morphs into a sneering Jack Palance: “You thought I was dead, didn’t you? Believe it -- or not.”

Obviously, you need to be steeped in an unusually deep cultural heritage to fully appreciate the intricate allusions here. Some familiarity with the incidental plotting and dialogue by Billy Shakespeare is also a plus, though it does appear to create additional challenges for Jen Nikolaisen, whose plucky heroine sometimes drops her tough-as-nails Joanne Dru persona to convincingly depict Rosalind’s fuller range of emotional nuances. Spoilsport.

With such a large ensemble called upon to impersonate well-known stars, some performances inevitably fall short of the conceit. There’s no trace of Montgomery Clift’s agonized brooding in Daniel S. Joseph’s Orlando; Celia (Megan Kay) is only recognizable as Natalie Wood by her Indian outfit from “The Searchers.”

Fun though the concept may be, more creative energy has gone into sustaining it than to exploring the source, the actual performance of which almost seems relegated to a necessary obligation between parodies. At times, this makes for a ponderous Ponderosa that may leave viewers a mite saddle-sore.

-- Philip Brandes

“As Ya Like It ... Pardner,” Knightsbridge Theatre, 35 S. Raymond Ave., Pasadena. Fridays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, noon. Ends Jan. 26. $22. (626) 440-0821. Running time: 2 hours, 15 minutes.

*

Cliches dominate ‘Without Mother’

In a time when splintered families are all too commonplace, writer-director Cindy Teruya’s “Life Without Mother” at American Renegade Theatre tackles an admirably urgent theme: long-separated siblings who meet as they prepare to begin their adult lives.

Both concept and characters show promise. An unseen druggie mother exacts a terrible psychic toll on her three children: studious, uptight Marcus (Jonathan Sela), ground into milquetoast by having to shoulder head-of-household responsibilities prematurely; feisty, rebellious Julia (Hillary Klein); and confused Jacob (Steve Spencer).

Split up by social services, the children follow different paths in their foster homes. Jacob is adopted by wealthy Bostonians who change his name to Stewart. Klein’s Julia remains hopelessly mired in poverty and eventually, in the play’s best performance, tries to lose herself in self-destructive sex. As for Marcus, well, once a nerd, always a nerd.

Unfortunately, in its awkward construction and shaky implementation the play rarely finds a convincing emotional footing; instead, it settles for far too many dramatic cliches and superficial characterizations.

What are we to make of Stewart’s meaningless one-night stand with a manipulator (Suzan Babaa), when he’s already met a girl (Kate Gopaoco) who’s offered him genuine caring and loyalty? He’s hardly in a position to pass judgment on his sister’s lifestyle when they meet up.

That meeting comes way too late in the game, after a succession of scenes that merely skim turbulent waters. The problems crystallize with the continuing reliance on a pair of angels to fill in the characters’ holes with exposition, including concluding single-paragraph summaries of the rest of their lives. Leo Tolstoy claimed that every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way, but this generic, opaque muddle seems out to prove him wrong.

-- P.B.

“Life Without Mother,” American Renegade Theatre, 11136 Magnolia Blvd., North Hollywood. Thursdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 3 p.m. Ends Jan. 12. $15. (818) 763-1834. Running time: 1 hour, 55 minutes.

*

Laughing all the way: ‘Santasia’

Santa’s elves are mad as hell, and they’re not going to take it anymore.

In a nutshell, that’s the thin but serviceable conceit behind “Santasia Rocks,” a wacky evening of Christmas-themed sketch comedy running through this weekend at the Whitmore-Lindley Theatre in NoHo (make that NoHoHoHo). A critic could have a field day belaboring comical metaphors for “Santasia.” Let’s just say this production is a lot like a holiday cheese log -- a cheesy filling of dubious origin surrounded by a bunch of nuts. In this case, the nuts are the show’s ensemble -- Michael Alvarado, Chris Cause, Kit Davlin, Andrew J. Hillis, Erick Lopez, Brandon Loeser and Shaun William Loeser. Brothers, the Loesers produced the newly reworked show, originally developed in Chicago, for its third Los Angeles engagement. The latter Loeser directs.

Engaging filberts all, the performers roll in the prevalent cheesiness with infectious abandon. And Shaun Loeser’s scenic design -- all glitz and tinsel and hilariously low-budget “effects” -- is in the same appropriately cheesy vein.

If the cheese images are wearing thin, let’s jumble the metaphor. The ensemble-scripted material (“Santasia” gets the writing credit here) is a mixed bag, including a few packages that should be returned to sender. More often than not, though, the bountiful laughs come tightly wrapped. Interstitial video segments, including the parody promo “Elves Gone Wild,” is a gold-plated hoot. The movement sequences, such as a mimed sledding sketch, smartly executed on this tiny stage, are particularly inspired. And the evening’s “Full Monty” finale is a side-splitter that may leave your rental Santa suit in shreds.

-- F.K.F.

“Santasia Rocks, a Holiday Comedy,” Whitmore-Lindley Theater, 11006 Magnolia Blvd., North Hollywood. Today-Saturday, 8 p.m. Closes Saturday. $10. (818) 907-7242. Running time: 1 hour, 30 minutes.

*

Sugary plot weakens ‘Holiday’

If you know someone in the cast, you’ll probably want to see “A Jolly Holly Holiday” at the Norris Center for the Performing Arts. Otherwise, you may feel like you are attending a big neighborhood block party where you don’t know a soul.

This “original musical,” written and directed by Michael Sartor, is really glorified community theater. Oh, some of the people involved have professional theater credits. Mostly, however, the performances are about as good as you would see in your average Christmas pageant.

The setting is the fictional town of Cedar Falls, a community that has a history of bad luck at Christmastime. Pies don’t get baked in time, the children’s choir is unrehearsed and, for the last three years, the town Christmas tree has shorted out during the annual tree-lighting ceremony.

In fact, little Annabelle (Alison Ford Kaufman) has been asking for a puppy for so long, she’s about to give up on the meaning of Christmas. But when Mrs. Santa Claus (Brandee Williams) comes to town, strewing glitter and Christmas magic, trees light without problem, pies win contests and Christmas arrives on schedule -- right along with Annabelle’s gift-wrapped puppy, not to mention the town’s absent soldier, who has been off at an unnamed location fighting for democracy and the American way.

That simple-minded plot is just the packaging for what is essentially a revue of holiday music, performed to uneven effect by an amateurish cast. Sartor contributed a couple of original songs as well as a few rewritten parody lyrics for old standards (“The Most Wonderful Time of the Year” resurfaces as “The Most Fattening Time of the Year” and so on.)

Be forewarned. Unalloyed cuteness may cause Scrooge-like symptoms in even the most ardent holiday buffs. If you haven’t already overloaded on the glutinous plot, pie is served at intermission, and caramel corn is handed out as you exit the theater, yet more sugar-coating on this sticky holiday fare.

-- F.K.F.

“A Jolly Holly Holiday,” Norris Center for the Performing Arts, 27570 Crossfield Drive, Rolling Hills Estates. Today-Saturday, 8 p.m.; Sunday, 5 p.m. Ends Sunday. $40. (310) 544-0403. Running time: 1 hour, 50 minutes.