Sister, Mom at his door

In a certain brand of commercial play, watching the formula stretch around itself is half the fun. That’s the case with “An Act of Love” at the Falcon Theatre. David Landsberg’s comedy about a newly divorced man and the women in his life is both familiar and original, and there lies its appeal.

Meet Peter Sandusky (Timothy Hornor), an affably sarcastic insurance agent introduced mid-conversation with ne’er-do-well kid sister Julia (Hedy Burress). “I was never addicted to whipped cream,” she says. “It was just a fling between cocaine and gambling.” Julia cannot crash at Peter’s pad (slickly designed by Keith Mitchell) until tomorrow; tonight, pent-up Peter has a blind date, Maureen (Beth Kennedy), who arrives wearing a burka.

It’s not a political statement, nor is Maureen a Muslim -- “I’m kind of a fallen Catholic.” In vintage kooky-character fashion, she has chosen the hijab in the hope that Peter might get to know her for herself. Although less than thrilled, Peter meets the challenge, which leads to hilarity as Maureen negotiates the sofa and her wine glass.

Enter narcissistic Mother (the redoubtable Susan Sullivan), an alcoholic actress who takes one look at Maureen and swoons, regroups, then swoons again. Peter, long inured to such hyper-theatricality, is disinclined to be solicitous. He trades barbs with Mother until inspiration hits: He will pay her $1,000 for a command performance as a loving mother -- his.

Despite an excess of episodic television glibness, “An Act of Love” is true boulevard fare in the Neil Simon vein.

Landsberg could refine the social-comment jabs and make Julia’s story line less tidy. But there’s a point to his narrative, and director Casey Stangl’s proficient cast puts it over with panache.

Hornor inhabits Peter’s snide side without losing the nice guy that Maureen hopes to meet. Kennedy, with only her lighthouse eyes and crack vocal timing to rely upon, is delightful, and Burress finds more layers in her role than Landsberg has written. Jay Harik as an Armenian cabdriver and Lovensky Jean-Baptiste as Julia’s hip-hop suitor from Oakland provide fine support.

Sullivan is on form and then some as Mother. Her shift to beatific maternity at the Act 1 climax is a technical feat, and Sullivan tops herself in Act 2, when Julia becomes the beneficiary of Peter’s scheme. “An Act of Love” is hardly revolutionary, just an intelligent, good-hearted diversion, and fans of light comedy should have a ball.

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‘An Act of Love’

Where: Falcon Theatre, 4252 Riverside Drive, Burbank

When: 8 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays, 4 p.m. Sundays

Ends: April 27

Price: $25-$37.50

Contact: (818) 955-8101

Running time: 1 hour, 40 minutes