Suburban rage in ‘Mrs. Cage’

This much we know: On Aug. 4, Mrs. Martin Cage, wife and mother of lawyers, witnessed the fatal shooting of grocery box-boy Billy as he grappled with a purse snatcher. The purse’s owner, Phyllis Dean, continued to bewail her stolen bag. Mrs. Cage then retrieved the thief’s dropped gun and shot Phyllis between the eyes.

What we will never know rolls like moving doggies through “Mrs. Cage” at Two Lights Studio Theater. Nancy Barr’s 1990 look at suburban ennui gone lethal receives a gripping revival with Judith Weston, who originated the title role in its premiere and revisits it as though for the first time.

“Mrs. Cage,” filmed for “American Playhouse” in 1992 with Anne Bancroft and Hector Elizondo, studies this disparate hausfrau as closely as interrogator Lt. Angel (the superbly invested John Burton Jr.). On Nancy Deren’s scrim-boxed set, “Mrs. Cage” suggests a Saul Bellow nightmare visited upon early Edward Albee. Lt. Angel subtly prods Mrs. Cage to unfold the frustrations of a lifetime, as she tries to iron over how, when, where and why it all went awry.

Barr’s script, vaguely tame by today’s lights, still arrests us as it veers from macabre humor to chilling rage and sudden pathos. As co-directed by Weston and Karen Aschenbach, the spirit of Shirley Jackson hovers overhead. The staging makes virtues of limited means, notably Robert Primes’ footlights and Kim Garcia’s sound cues.

Burton is an able foil for Weston, who inhabits Mrs. Cage’s skin with an alchemy that approaches Kim Stanley. Meredith Flynn doubles in the role, which gives “Mrs. Cage” fans an alternate take. Still, to miss Weston’s indelible turn would be a crime.

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‘Mrs. Cage’

Where: Two Lights Studio Theater, 3402 Motor Ave., West Los Angeles

When: 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays

Ends: May 7

Price: $10

Contact: (310) 392-2444

Running time: 70 minutes