ON STAGE

The Lieutenant Nun

Macha Theatre, through Oct. 26
*1/2

I am now moving Odalys Nanin to that list of theatrical practitioners (which includes Chekhov and Michael Kearns, if anybody cares) whose work I give myself permission to never sit through again since I clearly will never understand what they're up to. This purported comedy has writer/producer/star Nanin portraying a young nun who decides to live life as a male soldier. Which, one would think, would be the meat of the play, but it's actually the moment between the first and second scene. As Don Guzman, she then has the Pope sign off on her sexual charade, and goes on to publish a memoir, so where the dramatic tension and/or comedy occur, I've no idea. With her Prince Valiant 'do, her barely contained bustline, and her tenuous Ricky Ricardo accent, it's never clear what Nanin is up to. It must be noted, however, that Marilyn Sanabria, in the role of one of Don Guzman's conquests, delivers one of the most committed and operatic standing orgasms delivered this season.
—WENZEL JONES

Red Scare on Sunset

Attic Theatre, through Oct. 18
***1/2

It's a joy to find a director (Cindy Gendrich) who gets Charles Busch's whole overheated, mid-century cinematic approach to theater without Charles Busch actually being present. This torrid tale of Communist infiltration (it was the gay agenda of its day) in old Hollywood is embodied by an able cast with tongues firmly in cheeks. The show belongs to Michelle Begley in the role of Pat Pilford, a wildly popular radio "femcee" with a political stance that embraces entitlement and xenophobia to a disturbingly contemporary degree. Chris Tarantino plays the tall, dark, handsome matinee idol Frank Taggart with style while Sona Tatoyan, as the seductive secret agent Marta Towers, is restrained perfection. Frank's wife, the movie star Mary Dale, is the requisite drag role and while Drew Droege does fine work, his performance is undone by the shapeless costumes and a cheap wig (not to mention, um, leg hair). These Busch femme roles are almost defined by tailoring and an armor-like maquillage. Eric Jorgensen, Jan Monroe, Amy Procacci and Dane Whitlock (a gem) complete the estimable ensemble. —W.J.

LIMITED RUN

Fatboy

See what the N.Y. Times calls "a highly entertaining, knockabout satire." Follow its titular character and his wife on their bloody journey from tenement slums to the heights of power. Need Theater. Closes Sun., Oct. 26. $17. 800/838-3006; needtheater.org

Porcelain

A young man’s crime of passion—triply scorned as Asian, gay, and now a murderer—is dissected through a prism of conflicting voices: newscasts, flashbacks and John’s own recollections to a prison psychiatrist. Celebration Theatre. Fri., Oct. 10-Sun., Nov. 9. 323/957-1884; celebrationtheatre.com

Dead Man’s Cell Phone

In this imaginative new comedy, Gordan is dead, but his cell phone keeps ringing—and ringing. Would you answer? South Coast Repertory. Closes Sun. Oct. 12. southcoastrepertory.com

Sea Change

Five college friends—three gay men and two lesbians—set sail on a whale-watching expedition in the summer of '74 tracing the odyssey of their lives and the survival of their love for one another. Davidson/Valentini Theatre. Closes Sun., Oct. 26 $20. lagaycenter.org

Homo Must

Make Love in Ma Club

It's Friday night: You're super horny, super high, super desperate and the bartender simply won't take a check! Join six people who just want a drink, a lay and a dance break. Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre. Thurs., Oct. 9. 8 p.m. 323/908-8702; ucbtheatre.com

AISLE SAY

Don't Rain on Our Parade

In the era of such progressive youth-oriented shows as Spring Awakening, are there still audiences who crave seeing old-fashioned musicals from the golden age, such as Guys and Dolls and On the Town? While the local Musical Theatre Guild continues to stick to its charter of revisiting seldom-seen golden oldies (such as the recent smash revival of Cy Coleman's Seesaw), the reconfigured Reprise Theatre Company under the helm of new artistic director Jason Alexander is now straying far off that path with such frequently produced fare as Once on This Island and Man of La Mancha. Thankfully other groups sometimes pick up the slack, as with Pasadena Playhouse's glorious Can-Can, Rubicon's Theatre's recent scintillating She Loves Me, and the current Kander-Ebb masterwork Kiss of the Spider Woman, courtesy of Nick DeGruccio's Havok Theatre Company.

Which got me to thinking: What fondly remembered yet seldom produced musicals from yesteryear would be thrilling to see? At the top of my wish list is Jule Styne's Funny Girl though the argument one always hears is that everyone is intimidated by the shadow of Barbra Streisand's signature role. (Frontiers' oh-so-smart Editor-in-Chief Jeremy Kinser made an inspired casting recommendation: Idina Menzel.) And while on the subject of Streisand vehicles, On a Clear Day You Can See Forever (which starred Barbara Harris onstage and Babs in the film) could be a terrific revival.

Few people probably know of Cy Coleman's trouble-plagued Wildcat, which starred Lucille Ball in her only Broadway tuner. Though the book is no great shakes (nor was Lucy's voice), the score is a buried treasure, and I'd love to see this show. Same might be said for Kander and Ebb's Woman of the Year, the Lauren Bacall vehicle featuring one of the duo's least known but most delightful scores. And even though Charles Strouse's Applause, another Bacall vehicle, had a brief run at Reprise a few years back, it would be great to see a full-scale remounting starring a great musical comedy diva—Donna McKechnie perhaps? Before leaving the subject of Strouse musicals, I couldn't possibly get through this column without restating that I would adore seeing some company produce that under-rated sequel, Annie Warbucks (with a score that's better than Strouse's original Annie), which by the way featured McKechnie as one of the villainesses. What would your personal choices be? Why not drop me a note at lesspindle@juno.com and I will mention some in a future column. —LES SPINDLE