‘Johnny 2’ a Timely Statement

In William Saroyan’s “The Time of Your Life,” a young aspiring comic named Harry wants to make people laugh about the gathering war clouds. In 1939 Harry was way ahead of his time, a performance artist before the form came into being.

In “Johnny 2” at the Attic Theatre in Hollywood, Derek Horton is a direct descendant of Saroyan’s hapless Harry. But he has the advantage of a more sophisticated world to reflect in his inventive attack on attitudes toward war and its senseless decimation of the race.

With another political-financial conflict erupting, this time war in the Middle East, Horton’s schizoid character Johnny is particularly affecting. Johnny 1 is carefree and makes people laugh, while Johnny 2 is “deep, sensitive and good.” It’s through their eyes that Horton explores the stupidity of war, utilizing texts by Anne Frank, Julian Beck, Antonin Artaud and William Cooper, as well as Horton’s own incisive view of the uselessness of armed conflict.

Most of Horton’s piece is not in fact funny, but all of it is riddled with ironic humor. It’s also leavened with some vaudeville shtick--drummer Scott Van Schoick, an invaluable partner in the enterprise, often punctuates Horton’s monologue with cymbal crashing authority, to elicit a gently condescending “Thank you, Scott.” Horton also ably performs a little known Hank Williams song, “Battle of Armageddon,” and Shakespeare’s “Come Away Death,” to which he has written an intriguing melody.

Horton asks a lot of questions--”Do you think it’s easy to ask questions and play the bass?”--and the lack of answers is part of his comment on two views of political ethics, mirroring the two sides of poor Johnny. Horton is bright and entertaining, and his original insight is a welcome shot in the arm.

“Johnny 2,” Attic Theatre, 6562 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood; Fridays & Saturdays, 10 p.m. Ends Jan . 25. $5; (213) 462-9720. Running time: 1 hour

A Complex Night With Nine Short Plays

Two revivals are the high points of “Public Places/Private Faces,” an evening of nine short plays at the Complex in Hollywood.

Harold Pinter’s minuscule dialogue “Night,” beautifully directed by Patrick Thornton, features fine performances by Lee Lowrimore and Dawn Arnemann as a couple struggling to recapture the memory of their first meeting. It’s a gem of a vignette. Thornton also gives a polished, sharp-edged performance as a patriot who is dedicated to fighting for his country in Murphy Guyer’s “Loyalties.” Under Terry Bozeman’s tight direction, the play provides an emotional and intellectual jolt when the action’s location is disclosed.

Most of the program’s original material is stylistically oriented to television writing. But amid many capable performances, Rosanna Santos’ young woman seeing the little things in life for the first time stands out in “Sally Sees the Light”--she has a comic edge that is original and startling.

The best of the originals is Jim MacNerland’s “As Angels Watch,” about the crumbling of legal arrangements concerning a surrogate mother. Karl Makinan and Kathy Fleig make the play work with their honesty and freshness as the young couple who have a decision to make.

“Public Places/Private Faces,” The Complex, 6476 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood; Thursdays- S aturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 7 p.m. Ends Feb . 17. $9-$12; (213) 464-4124. Running time: 2 hours