L.A. Review: 'Ask Mrs. Honey B., Certified Life Coach'

Theater fans know Maripat Donovan as co-creator and principal star of the "Late Night Catechism" franchise, a cottage industry that has been a boon for numerous small venues worldwide for 20 years. Now Donovan and Marc Silvia, who began working together with "Late Night Catechism 2," have created a new character for Donovan to portray. The obvious question is whether she'll be like Sister, a quick-witted martinet who scrutinizes the audience and never misses a trick, or something altogether different.

Just as Sister does, Mrs. Honey Buczkowski, a "whole life-level coach" who tells us, "Just call me Mrs. Honey B.," interacts with the audience and improvises—and is just as fast at thinking on her feet. By contrast, her sarcasm, scolding, and reprimands are gentle and supportive. This character, who "coaches" on life through seminars, is here to build people up, not tear them down.

The trappings are simple: Directed by Silvia, Mrs. Honey B., wearing a bright pink jacket, her brunet hair in a flip, takes her place at a lectern and runs a slide show filling us in on her personal life and professional background. Next, Donovan displays her standup-comic reflexes by asking audience members to call out problems they're having, particularly with family members or in romances, to which she offers advice. Some of her remarks are scripted, of course, but many are off the top of her head.

The bulk of the show deals with the late-30-ish Travertinos, Frank (Scott Bielecky) and Angie (Denise Fennell), who have been receiving coaching from Mrs. Honey B. to help through rough spots in their 15-year marriage. The characters are built on Italian-American stereotypes that include "Tony n' Tina's Wedding," the title roles of which Bielecky and Fennell have performed thousands of times, and some of the couples seen in "The Real Housewives of New Jersey." With his high-pitched New York–ese, Bielecky comes off like a young, slim Joe Pesci who does moderately accurate impressions of Christopher Walken and Robert De Niro. Fennell's Angie is a tightly wound, high-maintenance princess constantly primping her perfectly coiffed jet-black hair while contradicting husband "Francis" or cataloguing his faults. While the role of Frank is limited to a few basic traits, Angie, with her heavy East Coast accent and don't-mess-with-me 'tude, is the engine that drives the show. Whether scripted or off-the-cuff, her lines are among the best. She's also one reason the closing "Ask Mrs. Honey B." section works so well: While Frank goes backstage to change into the kind of stylish GQ clothing Angie would prefer to his customary all-black attire, Fennell's Angie takes wicked delight in assisting Mrs. Honey B. in taking questions from the audience.

Frank and Angie do seem like a real couple, and although certain of the couples-counseling scenes may strike too close to home, their scenes are generally superficial and thus conducive to generating good comedy. Donovan's character is built on being kind and helpful, and some of her advice to audience members is genuinely practical rather than meant to get a laugh. Though the show's pace isn't as rapid-fire bada-bing as the original (and best) of the "Catechism" series, it's a whole new direction for Donovan and Silvia's talents—and might even be the birth of a franchise.

Presented by and at Laguna Playhouse, 606 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach. June 12-24. Tue.–Sat., 8 p.m.; Sat. and Sun., 2 p.m. (Additional performance Sun., June 24, 7 p.m.) (949) 497-2787 or www.lagunaplayhouse.com.