Last chance

The Secret Order: Cancer cells can be ambitious little imperialists. So can the cancer-fighting researchers and the institutions that support them. This provocative metaphor informs Bob Clyman’s “The Secret Order,” a compellingly sharp-tongued drama at Laguna Playhouse. Directed by Michael Sexton, the play briskly analyzes four mostly well-intentioned people who work at a medical institute. Narelle Sissons’ set suggests the sleek efficiency of high-tech medicine. While, Mark Rosenthal’s projections of what the doctors see in their microscopes remind us of the stakes.

-- Don Shirley

Ends Sunday at the Laguna Playhouse, 606 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach. (949) 497-2787.