Loves, lies of a modern Don Juan

Modern-day Hollywood is enough to make anyone, well, “Cringe” -- and, naming his play accordingly, playwright Peter Nieves seeks to do exactly that. Completing the Evidence Room’s “Hollywood Stories” trilogy of Tinseltown-themed new plays performed in repertory, “Cringe” is Nieves’ raw, sardonic re-envisioning of the Don Juan story set against the excesses of the film biz.

What begins as a Steve Martin-esque parody of power lunches (replete with air kisses and mass fumbling whenever a cell phone rings) gathers darkening malevolence as we follow the skyrocketing career of Jack Cringe (convincingly played by Christian Leffler), a screenwriter who finds that the more badly he behaves, the higher his star rises. A path of betrayal (especially of the women he uses and discards) leads Jack to the same place as his literary predecessor -- only Jack’s hell (a crimson-lighted pool party) is even harder to distinguish from his normal milieu.

Hollywood is an easy target for co-directors Nieves’ and Bart DeLorenzo’s Moliere-inspired jabs at hypocrisy, but for all of their obviousness, the blows connect with devastating force, thanks to superb ensemble performances.

Topping the charts is Dan Butler’s hilariously savage portrait of an imperious film producer whose ethics never rise above the level of his bodily functions. Other standout caricatures from the large cast include Lauren Campedelli’s self-absorbed actress, Don Oscar Smith as the producer’s gravelly chauffeur, Patricia Scanlon as David’s loopy secretary, and Pamela Gordon as an indie film producer desperate to break into the big leagues.

Without recourse to nudity, the play’s merciless, edgy staging effectively conjures the depths of squalid hedonism, amid an increasingly surreal tone reminiscent of a David Lynch film.

However striking, the play’s excesses also define its limitations. As events become further removed from recognizable reality, their emotional impact dulls. The eager availability of Jack’s victims removes any art of seduction (and any sense of an assault on propriety) from his sexual conquests. Although teeming with memorable, well-played scenes, the whole is less than the sum of its parts. Seriously in need of tightening, this road to hell is paved with repetitious intentions.

*

‘Cringe’

Where: Evidence Room, 2220 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles

When: Saturdays-Sundays, 8 p.m.; for additional performances check www.evidenceroom.com

Ends: Dec. 8

Price: $15-$20

Contact: (213) 381-7118

Running time: 2 hours,

40 minutes