Last Chance

Theater

On Approval--Time sure flies when you’re having a wry time. “On Approval,” Frederick Lonsdale’s breezy, biting comedy about the English upper classes, was revived by Pacific Resident Theatre in honor of the play’s 75th anniversary. It remains a delicious if insubstantial confection whipped to a fine froth by director Joe Olivieri and his deft cast. Like Noel Coward, with whom he is sometimes compared, Lonsdale wrote about the British aristocracy from the perspective of a low-born outsider. Wildly popular in their heyday, Lonsdale’s plays are only infrequently produced today, in contrast to the undiminished run of Coward revivals. Perhaps that’s because Lonsdale’s dialogue is less showy than Coward’s campy exchanges. However, with its combination of delicacy and timing, as in this production, “On Approval” endures, if only as a pleasant and purely escapist diversion.

F. Kathleen Foley

Ends Sunday at the Pacific Resident Theatre, 703-707 Venice Blvd., Venice,

(310) 822-8392.

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Also closing this weekend:

Crossings, Journeys of Catholic Immigrants--Cornerstone Theatre Company’s exploration of faith and religion observed through the experiences of Catholic immigrants ends Sunday at the Cathedral of St. Vibiana, 215 S. Los Angeles St., L.A., (213) 613-1700, Ext. 33.

Cleansed--The Rude Guerrilla Theater Company production of Sarah Kane’s despairing and disturbing play, for mature audiences only, closes Sunday at the Empire Theater, 200 N. Broadway, Santa Ana, (714) 547-4688.

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A Lonely Monkeyhouse--As delightfully nonsensical (and sometimes undisciplined) as a transcribed dream, Martin Dockery’s absurdist comedy about chimpanzees, marital discord, megalomania and the apocalypse ends Friday at the Two Roads Theatre, 4348 Tujunga Ave., Studio City, (323) 883-1717.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest--Dale Wasserman’s stage adaptation of Ken Kesey’s novel set in a psychiatric ward and its staff and inmates ends Sunday at the Dorie Theatre at the Complex, 6476 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood, (213) 864-9365, (310) 473-2001.

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The Twilight Zone--The presentation of two classic episodes from the Rod Serling TV series, adapted for stage, ends Saturday at El Portal Theatre, Circle Theatre, 5269 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood, (818) 628-1021.