‘Morticians in Love’ Searches for Laughs

In a society where few taboos have been left unexplored--make that unexploited--it’s just not easy to shock a modern-day audience anymore. Although Christi Stewart-Brown’s “Morticians in Love” at Celebration Theatre does essay new frontiers in vulgarity, the most shocking thing about the play, which ran off-Broadway two years ago, is that it was deemed worthy of another production.

Lydia and St. John (Allyce Beasley and Scott Utley), the eponymous protagonists of this wannabe comedy, meet in the line of duty and commence a fumbling romance. The two share a strong common interest: Both are bisexual necrophiles who are, shall we say, deeply involved in their work.

Without the gratuitous perversity, this could have been a sweetly offbeat romance, especially considering the potentially fascinating milieu. Even with kinkiness intact, the play might have succeeded as a dark satire about the American funeral industry, a la “The Loved One.”

Whatever the approach, it’s certain that subject matter this iffy requires a delicacy that Stewart-Brown entirely lacks. An attenuated groaner, “Morticians” is a sophomoric gross joke--with the punch line left out.

If satire is what he had in mind, then veteran director Robert Schrock’s muted realism seems a reasonable tack--at least in theory. Yet with the exception of two handsome “corpses” whose lack of affect is understandable, the performances are generally moribund. Why Schrock failed to light a fire under his narcoleptic cast--particularly the preternaturally sluggish Beasley--remains bewildering.

* “Morticians in Love,” Celebration Theatre, 7051 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood. Wednesdays-Fridays, 8 p.m. Ends April 25. $20. (213) 857-8085. Running time: 1 hour, 40 minutes.