‘Timing’ offers the weird, wonderful and weak

Tom Titus

Playwright David Ives is the Rod Serling of his literary Twilight

Zone, creating situations that range from the sublime to the

ridiculous in his series of one-act plays under the collective title

of “All in the Timing.”

The year-old theatrical company called Fleabitten Productions has

chosen a half-dozen of Ives’ ideas (there are several others) and is

presenting them at the Costa Mesa Civic Playhouse. As is often the

case in a theatrical variety show such as this, the artistic value

varies from the devilishly clever to, in one case, the derivatively

idiotic.

Directed by Joe Hogan, the playlets share a common thread -- the

enthusiasm of the five actors performing them. The quintet of Jeremy

Gable, Melanie Gable, Erinn Koch, Edwin Lopez and Mike McCaa inhabits

a plethora of characters in this brief but often impressive 90-minute

exercise.

The opener, “Sure Thing,” stands as a primer for pickup artists. A

guy (Lopez) and a girl (Melanie Gable) meet in a library, and his

overtures are repeated, with variations, until one of them actually

works. This piece is notable for Gable’s extended tirade on just what

might occur if she responded to his come-ons.

“Words, Words, Words,” which follows, not only sums up the

evening’s theme, it’s the highlight of the show. Working on the

observation that if enough monkeys sat down at enough typewriters

they’d ultimately produce “Hamlet,” the piece spotlights Jeremy

Gable, McCaa and Koch as chimps attempting to do just that.

Dubbed Milton, Swift and Kafka, the simians kick around the

reasons for their captivity as they peck away -- McCaa resisting,

Gable rationalizing and Koch actually starting to accomplish the

project. It’s also the funniest show of the package.

The most difficult of the six one-acts is “The Universal

Language,” in which Melanie Gable portrays a student eager to learn

the gibberish lingo “professor” McCaa expounds. Both actors are

required to speak in semi-nonsensical prose, and they fulfill this

mission admirably.

The Act II opener, “Philip Glass Buys a Loaf of Bread,” is the

“derivatively idiotic” playlet alluded to earlier. It’s as

enthusiastically stupid as Ionesco’s “The Bald Soprano,” which

undoubtedly provided Ives’ inspiration, and the less said about this

one, the better.

“The Philadelphia” places actors McCaa and Lopez in a New York

restaurant where no matter what they order, they’ll receive the

opposite. Koch is particularly appealing as the waitress driving the

pair to distraction.

Finally, the company presents “Variations on the Death of

Trotsky,” in which the Russian revolutionary (McCaa) ponders

history’s assessment of him while his wife (Melanie Gable) reminds

him of the hatchet protruding from his scalp. Jeremy Gable has a

frisky cameo as the Mexican gardener who offed him. It’s second only

to “Words, Words, Words” in audience appeal.

By the way, if you caught the version of “All in the Timing”

offered at Golden West College earlier this year and assume you’ve

been there and done that, think again. Only three of these playlets

were included in GWC’s production; the other three are different Ives

concoctions.

Fleabitten Productions is celebrating its first anniversary at the

venue, the Costa Mesa Civic Playhouse, where it was born with “Jerry

Finnegan’s Sister.” The company produces its shows at various

locations in Southern California as it continues its quest for a

permanent venue.

* TOM TITUS reviews local theater for the Daily Pilot. His reviews

appear Fridays.