‘Search and Destroy’ Seeks Moral Ground

“Search and Destroy,” Howard Korder’s gritty and funny tale of modern-day greed and corruption, poses a troubling question: Just how dangerous is a New Age philosophy that emphasizes success and self-determination as primary human imperatives, when it is embraced by the morally vapid?

Martin (David Poynter), a glibly empty wheeler-dealer whose marriage and business are on the skids, latches onto cable guru Dr. Waxling’s (Charles Carroll) simplistic yet risky message: “There are no limitations.” Determined to secure the film rights to Waxling’s novel, Martin embarks on a disastrous cross-country odyssey that leaves him adrift in a sea of rationalization and compromise. Desperate for an anchor, Martin forms a drug-dealing partnership with the enigmatic Kim (Felipe J. Riojas).

Cryptic yet dramatically charged, Korder’s malleable play requires a strong directorial vision to explore its countless interpretive possibilities. Although he elicits many finely detailed performances from his large and able cast in this revival at the Tamarind, director David Hussey wavers confusingly between farce and hyper-realism, as is evident in Yeardley Smith’s portrayal of Waxling’s secretary and lover.

Poynter’s Martin is a moral sponge who fills the hole in his soul with the philosophical equivalent of raw sewage. Riojas dazzles as the charming, creepy Kim, whose sociopathic volatility inspires Martin to make that final, precipitous descent into worldly success--and perdition.

* “Search and Destroy,” Tamarind Theatre, 5919 Franklin Ave., Hollywood. Monday-Wednesday, 8 p.m. Ends Wednesday. $12. (213) 466-1767. Running time: 2 hours, 20 minutes.