STAGE REVIEW : ‘Urban Landscapes’ Has a Ragged Edge : The production--which might be the last for Orange County Coalition for the Theatre Arts--has the feel of a beat-era play.

LONG BEACH —  Playwright Kent Hawkins has called his latest work, “Urban Landscapes,” a “metaphorical look at America in the post-Reagan years.” Don’t expect a lighthearted night out. Don’t expect any major revelations, either. The premise is familiar: how the American dream has become the scariest of nightmares for yuppie marrieds Bill and Betty (Steven Scholl and Deirdre West).

There’s a lot of yelling and bickering in this play. And loud sounds emanate from the couple’s TV set, which is perpetually turned on--providing solace from the real world.

Because all this takes place in a small space of an eatery called System M, “Urban Landscapes”--which runs Thursday nights (except tonight) through July 25--has the feel of a beat-era play. It’s ragtag, to say the least.

Indeed, Hawkins has said this might be the final production for the struggling Orange County Coalition for the Theatre Arts, because of financial and other problems.

But if it’s ragged, “Urban Landscapes” is also nicely performed by Scholl and West--who make us care what happens to them. And Hawkins has a flair for writing dialogue that strikes nerves. If only he didn’t hammer away so much.

Because he has lost his job, Bill spends his days in front of the tube. As Betty notes--numerous times--he no longer seems interested in sex, or much of anything. Meanwhile, she’s stressed out from driving the freeways. They’re also too broke to go out to eat (their charge cards are maxed out), their furniture is being repossessed, and from their apartment, they can hear the sounds of occasional gunshots on the streets.

“This can’t be El Dorado--that would just be too damn grim to think about,” laments Bill, who longs for good old days that never existed. As he notes, things looked so much better in those black and white Hollywood films of the ‘30s. Bill’s nostalgic needs even extend to the domestic front. As he tells his wife, she never bakes bread anymore. As she reminds him, she never made bread.

What has happened to make everything go so wrong? Scenes involving a TV quiz show--whose contestants are either in the black or in the red--point to the rampant materialism of the ‘80s. There are also scenes in which a foreign exchange student’s idealism is juxtaposed with Bill and Betty’s shattered vision.

Though it’s far from earth-shattering, folks who like nontraditionalist works might admire “Urban Landscapes” for the fact that it’s being done at all. ‘Urban Landscapes’

An Orange County Coalition for the Theatre Arts production written, directed and produced by Kent Hawkins. Sound design by Jason Richard. With Steven Scholl, Deirdre West, Marty Rynerson, Derek Smith and Satinder Brar Hawkins. At System M Caffe/Gallery, 213A Pine Ave., Long Beach, at 8 p.m. Thursdays through July 25 (except tonight). Tickets: $7. Information: (714) 491-1256.