In ‘Exits,’ transformation onstage and off

In undershirt and boxers, the middle-aged actor reveals a round waistline and a general state of decline. After donning a tunic and cape to portray the towering Oedipus, however, he pulls himself to his full height and begins to stride commandingly around his dressing room. Girth and age seem to melt away.

This power of transformation, so vital to the theater, becomes a metaphor for personal as well as social transfiguration in Athol Fugard’s new play, “Exits and Entrances.” Subtle yet keenly insightful, the story -- about a prominent actor and the young playwright he inspires -- comes across all the more immediately at the 78-seat Fountain Theatre. Though larger institutions typically introduce Fugard’s works to Southern California, the South African writer entrusted this play to the Fountain reportedly after being impressed by its 2000 presentation of his “The Road to Mecca.”

The first half of the story unfolds in 1956 in the dressing room that an influential actor, Andre (modeled after South Africa’s Andre Huguenet), shares with “the playwright” (unnamed but clearly meant to be Fugard), who is performing a small role opposite him in “Oedipus Rex.”

Bursting into the room in a dither about nothing very important, Andre (Morlan Higgins) at first comes across as a self-important showoff. Yet the playwright (William Dennis Hurley) treats him with reverent indulgence. We see why a short while later, when Andre taps his inner Oedipus -- a man who stands resigned yet unbowed as fate heaps indignities on him.

By the time the playwright encounters Andre again in 1961, the actor, in his mid-50s, has begun to face personal indignities while also acknowledging a gnawing regret that, as a closeted homosexual, he has shut away too much of himself. Here, the theme of transformation merges with another key element of stage performance: truth. Passing references to social and political transformations then underway in South Africa serve to underscore the idea.

“Exits and Entrances” doesn’t pack the wallop of the 71-year-old Fugard’s “ ‘Master Harold’ ... and the boys” or “My Children! My Africa!” But as directed by Stephen Sachs and performed by two riveting actors, it proves no less insightful into the workings of the world.

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‘Exits and Entrances’

Where: Fountain Theatre, 5060 Fountain Ave., L.A.

When: Fridays and Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 2 p.m.

Ends: July 25

Price: $25

Contact: (323) 663-1525

Running time: 1 hour, 25 minutes