If you're going to step up to home plate and take your cuts, you might as well swing for the fences. There's nothing more disappointing than walking into a theatre and discovering that the actors know their lines. It's nice and safe and...boring. But there is one thing you can say about these performers. They aren't boring. They definitely took their cuts. They threw themselves into this updated musical version of the Little Red Riding Hood fairy tale with wild abandon. They embraced their high-wire act with tremendous enthusiasm and never looked back, particularly at the end of the show, when it appeared that no one knew where the action was heading.
No, these players, writers, and director Anthony Nelson didn't hit a home run. The book, co-written by erstwhile comedians Oscar Basulto and Anthony Aguilar (who also plays Corky, a naive woodsman, sans ax, and would-be rescuer of Red), gets scrambled, veers off into immigration issues, and never moves beyond second base. But this duo's tongue-in-cheek humor is occasionally funny and hits it big with the youngsters. And after all, this is definitely a kids' show, which probably explains the pell-mell pacing by Nelson. Plus there are a few nice things going on inside the play. Aaron Fischer's music is solid; Rebekah Melocik's lyrics are upbeat and positive. Red, a punk hipster chick who would rather be going to a concert than visiting dear old granny, is nicely captured by Natalya Oliver, who also showcases a fine voice. Michelle Zamora's puppetry enthralls the children. And Eleazar Del Valle, who camps it up as Don Coyote—the smarmy, insecure, big bad wolf, clad in a Mafiosi suit and furry tail—is an absolute hoot. You're right: This is not your parents' Red Riding Hood.
Presented by and at Casa 0101, 2009 E. First St., L.A. Thu.-Fri. 8 p.m., Sat.-Sun. 3 p.m. (Also Sat. noon Aug. 5-19.) Jul. 20-Aug. 20. (323) 263-7684. www.casa0101.org.