THEATER:A comedic update

When South Coast Repertory was first getting its feet wet in Newport Beach, one of the company’s earlier productions from that embryonic 1965 season was Ben Jonson’s vintage (1606) comedy “Volpone.”

That particular play hasn’t been staged locally since, but the fellow who helped create the stage musicals “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum” and “City of Angels,” the movie “Tootsie” and the TV series “MASH” took a crack at the “Volpone” story line, transforming it into a stage comedy titled “Sly Fox.”

On Wednesday, Larry Gelbart’s farcical “Fox” will find its way to the large Robert B. Moore Theater at Orange Coast College. But don’t hesitate if you’re planning on seeing it — the show plays only through Oct. 22.

“Sly Fox” focuses on a wealthy miser and a conniving trio of would-be heirs who will stop at nothing to avail themselves of his fortune. The setting has been transformed from 17th-century Italy to San Francisco during the so-called Gilded Age of the late 1800s.

OCC theater professor Alex Golson is directing the comedy, with James Barrett taking on the role of the miserly Foxwell J. Sly. His able assistant, Simon Able, is portrayed by Tim Zimmer.

Others in the OCC cast include Jill Prout, Amy Abbascia, Sean Coutu, David Cowan, Dan Barnard, Daniel Vega, Jeff Kievet and Patrick Koffel.

Since space in the Moore Theater is limited — and seating is virtually limitless — “Sly Fox” will run for only one long weekend. Curtain is 8 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and 2:30 on Oct. 22.

Advance tickets, priced at $8, are on sale in the college’s Bursar’s Office near the student center. Admission at the door will be $10. Call OCC at (714) 432-5880 for additional information.

Audiences at South Coast Repertory’s 2005 Pacific Playwrights Festival had the first look at Beth Henley’s new play, “Ridiculous Fraud,” last summer as a workshop production. Now it’s back in full bloom, opening next weekend on South Coast Repertory’s Segerstrom Stage.

For prolific playwright Henley, it’ll be her third world premiere at South Coast Repertory — her plays “Abundance” and “The Debutante Ball” also saw their first-ever performances here. Audiences also might recognize Henley for her most famous project, “Crimes of the Heart.”

“It is a pleasure to observe Beth’s creative process as she continues to revise and fine-tune her play from staged reading through professional production,” the theater’s producing artistic director David Emmes said.

Previews of “Ridiculous Fraud” begin tonight and continue through Thursday. The comedy opens Oct. 20 and will play through Nov. 19, with more information forthcoming at (714) 708-5555.