Dating Foibles of the ‘Last Man’

Writer-comic Mark Roberts has Phil Silvers’ good looks and Jack Benny’s deadpan delivery. He puts both to good use in “Last Man on Earth,” his funny but scattershot spoof of ‘90s dating at the Hudson Theatre in Hollywood.

Roberts plays Mark, a balding nerd who connects with few women sexually and even fewer emotionally. “I just got out of a relationship,” he explains, “13 years ago.” The main culprit may be his personality, a unique blend of cynicism and gullibility. His high hopes for one encounter are dashed after the woman ties him up with her stockings--and then robs him.

Mark’s ever-wary therapist (Anne West) is not amused by all this, perhaps because she, like the other nine female characters in this late-night piece, is basically employed as a foil for Roberts’ stand-up routine. Even Nora Dunn, the gifted former “Saturday Night Live” star who here plays a blind date from hell, can do little with a role that is more prop than character.

Yet Roberts, as directed by Phil Emmett, reveals himself as a formidable talent, guaranteeing big laughs by combining the precision timing of ‘50s TV comics with a keen sense of contemporary absurdity. When the therapist prescribes abstinence as a cure for sexual addiction, the comic’s fictional alter ego misses nary a beat. “Meaning?” he wonders.

* “Last Man on Earth,” Hudson Theatre, 6539 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood. Fridays, 10:30 p.m. Ends April 28. $10. (213) 660-8587. Running time: 1 hour, 5 minutes.