Romantic Comedy ‘Burn This’ to Open in Laguna : Theater: Lanford Wilson’s sometimes incendiary play will be presented at the Forum Theatre by the Elysium troupe under direction of Peter Henry Schroeder.

Lanford Wilson has said that the title for “Burn This” came accidentally, during a process of self-criticism. While writing the play, Wilson repeatedly scribbled “burn this” at the top of each page, reminding himself that it wasn’t good enough and had to be more personal.

Once this hard-edged “romantic comedy” became more satisfying, Wilson realized that the incendiary admonition nicely reflected this sometimes incendiary play. “Burn This” went on to pique interest not only for the curious title but for its look at the intense relationships of four people living in New York’s SoHo district.

After its generally well-received New York premiere in 1987 and after a few Los Angeles-area productions, “Burn This” has made it to Orange County. Elysium, the year-old Laguna Beach troupe primarily known for its acclaimed staging of William Hoffman’s AIDS-oriented drama, “As Is,” last January, will present “Burn This” from Thursday to Feb. 10 at the Forum Theatre in Laguna Beach.

Director Peter Henry Schroeder, an actor and director with many professional stage and movie credits, believes the play gives Elysium the opportunity to explore the possibilities everyone faces in their lives, both personally and with others.

“It comments wonderfully on self-realization and the need to be accepting of ourselves and others, and to compromise in some ways,” he said. “It has a very emotional, provocative (quality) that’s very true to life. It says something about integration and learning to live happily.”

“Burn This” doesn’t begin happily. Robby, a homosexual who has been living with Anna (played by Verrier Scatolini) and another gay roommate, Larry (Jay Fraley), has died in a boating accident.

During the funeral, Anna meets Pale (Daniel Millington), Robby’s brother, a volatile, certified outsider who shows up later that night pounding on her door. Once inside, there’s plenty of heat: Pale and Anna feel it in their attraction, and it’s fueled by Larry and her nice-guy boyfriend (J.J. Miller), who competes with Pale for her affection.

The New York premiere got as much critical attention as any production in recent years, with the focus on John Malkovich’s dangerous performance as Pale. But the sweep of opinion also tried to put “Burn This” in perspective as the latest step in the career of Wilson, one of America’s most respected playwrights, the author of “Talley’s Folly” and “Fifth of July.”

Just about every reviewer respected what Wilson had accomplished, and there were raves (Jack Kroll of Newsweek called it “a mainline shot of theatrical adrenaline for an audience that hasn’t seen or heard anything to match (its) sheer theatricality”), but there was also dissent. Some described “Burn This” as not up to what Wilson had done before.

A few critics, notably Frank Rich of the New York Times, argued that while there was plenty of sound and fury there wasn’t enough insight: “The promised illumination of torrid intimacies and larger-than-life passions never quite emerges, either in the text or the performances. One feels so much invigorating heat, that it’s all the more frustrating to be left with so little light.”

Schroeder doesn’t find much justification in the naysaying. To his way of thinking, the play follows in the Wilson tradition of examining lives “on many levels” and is “one of the best American pieces in the past five years.”

“I’m really so in love with it. . . . Wilson always gives you a lot of subtext and subtlety concerning people and relationships and that’s the case here,” Schroeder said. “My challenge is to excavate the meanings in the shadings, the innuendoes and make it clear to the audience.”

While he’s tried to take an innovative approach with “Burn This,” Schroeder said he is adamant about resisting any changes in its language, a mature, scatological mix.

“There’s no doubt that much of this is provocative but there’s no way we even thought of deleting any of the expletives,” Schroeder explained when asked if there was any anxiety over offending an Orange County audience.

“I think we’ve given a frank and legitimate staging of Wilson’s point-of-view.”

The Elysium (in association with Laguna Outreach) production of Lanford Wilson’s play runs Thursday through Sunday at 8 p.m., with Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2 p.m., through Feb. 10 at the Forum Theatre, 650 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach. Tickets: $15. Information: (714) 497-9566 or 494-8319.