By Les Spindle

Box 27

Actors Forum Theatre
10655 Magnolia Blvd.,
North Hollywood
Friday-Saturday 8 p.m.,
Sun. 3 p.m.
Through June 10
Tickets: $25
(818) 506-0600

Presented at the same NoHo theater where it was introduced locally in 1996, Michael Norman Mann's GLAAD Award winning play takes a hard-hitting look at U.S. military life during the period when President Clinton's “Don't Ask, Don't Tell” policy was very much in the news. The key issues of institutionalized homophobia and its ugly ramifications remain dramatically stirring and resonant, but if memory serves correctly, the play feels more talky and repetitious this time around. Director Larry Lederman again helms the proceedings, but the cast is completely different. The first act is tautly paced and intriguing, but midway through the second act, the dramatic points start to seem circuitous and the heated passions of the characters feel a bit melodramatic.

Joe Jeffrey heads the cast as Capt. Stephen Mills, a high-principled and decorated Marine hero who is secretly gay. His older lover, Maj. Howard Kurtis (Michael Harrity), is a longtime friend of Stephen's strong-willed and homophobic father, Col. Marshall Mills (Bert Hinchman). When the younger Mills decides he's tired of living in the closet and wants to come out–not only to his ferocious father, but also to the Marine Corps—Kurtis vehemently opposes the decision. At stake for both men are their military careers and the wrath of the senior Mills.

Though the eight characters in the play allow for exploration of sundry related issues from various viewpoints, the crux of the play is the a gay man's inner conflict—the need for self-respect and a feeling of acceptance (as exemplified by Stephen) and the impulse to continue living in hiding (as exemplified by Howard). Jeffrey and Harrity offer sensitive and credible performances, bringing out the pain and turmoil of this dilemma. Hinchman is properly contemptible as the closed-minded patriarch, hanging on to his notions of the macho ethos for dear life. At the same time, Hinchman does a good job of showing the suppressed humanity behind the raging homophobia. Ted Ryan is hilarious—in an Archie Bunker kind of way—as a bigoted punk lieutenant. There's also superb support from Travis W. Goodman as a more compassionate lieutenant, Maggie Powers as a kindly café owner and George C. Simms as a black retired major who understands the evils of prejudice. Design work is solid. Despite the overwritten second act and occasional opening-night glitches, this is a still-powerful piece that offers ample rewards for diverse audiences.

Heroes

Geffen Playhouse
10886 Le Conte Ave., Westwood.
Tuesday-Thursday 7:30 p.m.,
Friday 8 p.m., Saturday 4 p.m. & 8:30 p.m., Sunday 2 p.m. & 7 p.m.
Through May 27
Tickets: $35-69
(310) 208-5454

Geffen's American premiere staging of Gerald Sibleyras' French comedy arrived with an impressive pedigree. It won England's prestigious Laurence Olivier award for its London staging, was translated by revered playwright-screenwriter Tom Stoppard (Shakespeare in Love, Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead, Arcadia) and boasts a local cast featuring three fine veteran actors (Richard Benjamin, George Segal and Len Cariou). So what went so terribly awry?

Perhaps it's a cultural gap, but under Thea Sharrock's direction, the piece plays out as a rambling and not very amusing affair, and none of the stars offer particularly memorable performances. The year is 1959 and the setting is a French retirement home, where World War I veterans while away their days, shooting the breeze about mostly inconsequential matters and sharing tales of their still-active libidos. One keeps thinking the vaguely surreal milieu–with Robert Jones' stylized set in the background–is going to take us into Samuel Beckett territory. The randomness of the chitchat feels circuitous, and we keep waiting for an existential twist that never comes.

These three troupers make a valiant effort. As the feisty Henri, Cariou finds occasional moments of wit. Segal's curmudgeonly Gustave—a slightly doddering Oscar Madison—also stirs up intermittent laughs. In the least interesting role of Phillipe, Benjamin capitalizes on physical gags. But in the end, one doesn't so much wait for Godot as for the 90-minute play to reach its overdue conclusion.

Hard as Nails

Lyric Hyperion Theatre
2106 Hyperion Ave, Silver Lake
Friday-Saturday 8 p.m., Sunday 2 p.m.
Through May 12
Tickets: $18
www.theatermania.com

There have been countless plays dramatizing the myriad human ramifications surrounding the HIV/AIDS crisis since the horrific disease reared its ugly head in the 1980s, yielding classics such as The Normal Heart and Angels in America. British playwright Jon Osbaldeston won the 2001 London Writer's Competition for best new play for Hard as Nails, which examines the still-ravaging blight from an unusual perspective—its effect on the lives of three strong-willed heterosexual women in Manhattan. Though the ambitious, intricately structured work–incorporating complex political issues amid the personal dramas—bites off a bit more than a 90-minute play can smoothly chew, it nonetheless achieves a powerfully moving tapestry of events and ideas, bolstered by the playwright's knack for writing multi-dimensional and intriguing characters. Director Paul Nicolia Stein's American premiere production is an intelligent and superbly acted rendition.

Going back and forth in time among the years 1987, 1997 and 2007 (sometimes to slightly confusing effect), the story centers around high-spirited manicurist/aspiring singer Bunty (America Young); Jennifer (Elizabeth Ann Harris), a pharmaceutical conglomerate's public relations honcho; and libidinous Southern belle Shyla (Evie Hammer), a dedicated HIV counselor. Their individual stories dovetail in interesting ways, leading to cathartic resolutions for each. Shyla's HIV-positive brother Bobby (Brendan Broms) is a close friend to Jennifer. Bunty falls for a man (also played by Broms) who keeps an important secret from her. The plot thickens when AIDS activists begin targeting Jennifer for harassment when her company refuses to share its cocktail breakthroughs with AIDS-infected African citizens.

As the character who ties the disparate plot threads together, Bunty gives a sensitive and captivating performance. She makes a formidable segue from the upbeat demeanor that initially defines her character to the tough stance she ultimately takes when faced with danger and betrayal. Hammer and Harris likewise excel in multilayered performances, and the versatile Broms has a strong impact, not only as the two aforementioned characters, but also in a third role as Shyla's frisky lover. Luis Delgado's set design is simple but effective, allowing for fluid transitions amid the play's multiple times and places. Steven Pope's lighting and Ron Klier's sound recording further enhance the play's edgy milieu. Moving Arts' finely nuanced production is well worth seeing.