Last Chance Theater

“Biloxi Blues”--If there’s a war going on, it’s time for a military comedy. The decision by Pasadena Playhouse--in the wake of Sept. 11--to ditch an expensive production of a new play in favor of Neil Simon’s “Biloxi Blues” may appear awfully safe. Especially when an American flag unfurls during the curtain call, the choice looks overly calculated.

Nonetheless, “Biloxi Blues” remains one of the best military comedies, and this production treats it well. As part of his basic training at a camp near Biloxi, Miss., young GI Eugene Jerome (Daniel Sauli) learns that he can’t always play it safe, observing from the sidelines. Sometimes he has to step forward to preserve his individual identity, even as the Army seems intent on squashing it.... Evan Neuman, making his professional stage debut as Arnold Epstein, is a model of spare, focused intensity. In comparison with some other interpretations of the role, Neuman downplays the hints that lead Eugene to think Arnold might be gay. But it’s not necessary to make Arnold especially effeminate, for Simon establishes the overall level of homophobia in the military in 1943 elsewhere in the plot. Of course, this remains an issue even now--making “Biloxi Blues” surprisingly topical on this subject.

Don Shirley

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“Biloxi Blues,” ends Sunday at the Pasadena Playhouse, 39 S. El Molino Ave., Pasadena, (626) 356-7529.

Also closing:

“Achieving the Dream”--Actress Yolanda King, daughter of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., portrays diverse characters in a theater piece about the civil rights movement that ends Sunday at the Madrid Theatre, 21622 Sherman Way, Canoga Park, (818) 347-9938.

“Eye Around Dada & Surrealism”--A show of unpublished photographs of the artists and a selection of watercolors, drawings and etchings by Jean Arp, Hans Bellmer, Jean Cocteau, Salvador Dali, Marcel Duchamp, Max Ernst, Wassily Kandinsky and Tristan Tzara closes Saturday at Christine Argillet Gallery, 9013 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood, (310) 858-3862.

“Gerd Ludwig: Broken Empire”--The exhibition of photographs documenting Russia since the breakup of the Soviet Union ends Sunday at Stephen Cohen Gallery, 7358 Beverly Blvd., L.A., (323) 937-5525.

“Self-Medicated”--A group art show dealing with drugs, alcohol and altered states of mind by John Baldessari, Bruce Conner, Damien Hirst, Dennis Hopper, Henri Michaux, Ed Ruscha, Tom Sachs, Fred Tomaselli and Andy Warhol ends Saturday at Michael Kohn Gallery, 8071 Beverly Blvd., L.A., (323) 658-8088.