Celebrity, scandal sheets skewered in ‘Dumb Show’

Celebrity and its illegitimate cousin, tabloid journalism, come in for a tremendous roasting in English playwright Joe Penhall’s scathing seriocomedy “Dumb Show,” now holding court on South Coast Repertory’s Julianne Argyros Stage.

Penhall’s three-character treatise takes equal aim at the swellheaded entertainer, who assumes his fame grants him carte blanche in life, and the journalistic vultures who entrap him in this deliciously meaty production under the tight, meticulous direction of David Emmes.

At the outset, it appears that Barry (Micheal McShane), a sort of latter-day Benny Hill, is about to feather his nest with a lucrative contract dangled in front of him by two alleged bank executives (Heidi Dippold and John Rafter Lee). However, it’s not long before the pair is unmasked as tabloid reporters executing a carefully concocted plot to catch the comic in a most unflattering situation.

What follows is a battle of words and wits between the troubled showbiz legend and the crafty character assassins, bringing out the worst in both, with neither emerging unscathed. Nevertheless, when Barry delivers the crowning blow, so to speak, he elicits spontaneous applause.

McShane, in a portrayal reminiscent of the late Zero Mostel, is absolutely marvelous as the corpulent comic whose drinking problem is exacerbated by his duplicitous guests. He balances his stage-commanding moments as a celebrity presence with sequences of wrenching vulnerability that rip his mask to shreds. It is a superlative performance.

Dippold -- beautifully blond and displaying some eye-catching cleavage and shapely legs beyond her conservative demeanor -- seems to wrestle with her personal conscience and professional zeal, with no clear ultimate victor. Her character probably is too principled to be working for a scandal sheet, yet she fulfills that mission splendidly.

Lee, on the other hand, depicts his oily, serpentine predator with a vengeance once his own mask is removed. He is a master of control, a bully continually grasping for the upper hand and exposed as a cornered rat when forced to relinquish it.

The action is primarily played out against the backdrop of a gorgeous plush hotel room setting designed by Angela Balogh Calin, who also created the costumes. The panoramic view of the London skyline is enhanced by curtains that flutter ever so slightly in the evening breeze.

“Dumb Show” -- the title is ostensibly taken from the speech to the players in “Hamlet” -- is an American premiere, and a play many theater groups will strive to get their hands on in the future. It’s that rare well-crafted comedy that gives its audiences myriad red meat on which to chew.

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It may be rushing the season a bit, but single tickets for South Coast Repertory’s holiday productions went on sale Sunday. Tickets range in price from $15-$49 and can be purchased by calling Ticket Service at (714) 708-5555 or at South Coast Repertory’s website at www.scr.org.

Low-priced previews for “A Christmas Carol” will be available from Nov. 26 to Dec. 1. The play runs through Dec. 24 on the Segerstrom Stage. Low-priced previews for “La Posada Magica” will be available December 9-15. The play runs through December 24 on the Argyros Stage.

IF YOU GO:

* WHAT: “Dumb Show”

* WHERE: South Coast Repertory Julianne Argyros Theater, 655 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa

* WHEN: Friday at 7:45 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday at 2 and 7:45 p.m.

* COST: $20 - $58

* CALL: (714) 708-5555

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