For more than 40 years, the prolific Neil Simon has never stopped authoring plays, books for musicals, and films, so it's hardly surprising that he recycles his favorite themes. Among the recurring setups have been bickering roommates (in female and male versions of The Odd Couple and in The Goodbye Girl), urban blight (The Out-of-Towners and The Prisoner of Second Avenue), and parental abandonment (The Gingerbread Lady and Max Dugan Returns). To the latter category add I Ought To Be in Pictures, a solid entry in the Simon canon, finding the venerable playwright in a bittersweet vein. Director Jules Aaron has mounted an enjoyable production of this lesser-known work.
The narrative is crafted in the classic well-made-play mode, getting right down to business and proceeding steadily toward a poignant conclusion. Spunky 19-year-old Libby (Amy Brewczynski) hitchhikes from Brooklyn to Hollywood, unexpectedly landing on the doorstep of her father, Herb (Gregory Itzin), who abandoned his family 16 years prior. The mixed-up teen, who seeks spiritual guidance in conversations with her dead grandmother, has decided to come to Tinseltown and become a star. Herb is a screenwriter suffering from writer's block, as well as commitmentphobia (the new buzzword), still keeping Steffy (Bonita Friedericy), his girlfriend of two years, at a safe distance. When he ran away from his wife and children, he never looked back, and, judging from his current relationship, he seems to have changed little after all these years. But this is a Simon comedy, so it's a cinch child knows best and everyone will learn a valuable lesson before the fadeout, with laughter and tears an inescapable part of that process.
Aaron has cast the production fortuitously, with the ever-reliable Itzin particularly on-target. As the overgrown child/dad, Itzin navigates the Simon one-liners with consummate skill, and, despite the character's irresponsible leanings, he charms the audience as well as the other characters. Brewczynski's performance is considerably more low-key than the nervous-Nellie waif played by Dinah Manoff in the original stage and film versions. But this interpretation is equally valid and quite moving, as Libby slowly sheds her tough, street-smart facade to reveal the terrified little girl inside. In the smallest role, Friedericy offers capable support, serving as a humorous buffer between the angry child and her stubborn father.
Aaron has elicited an effective production design, with Gary Wissmann's convincing Hollywood-bungalow set and Martin Aronstein's workmanlike lighting. This middle-of-the-road dramedy is satisfying if not shattering, and the well-crafted McCoy Rigby production pushes all the right buttons.
"I Ought To Be in Pictures," presented by McCoy Rigby Entertainment at La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts, 14900 La Mirada Blvd., La Mirada. Tues.-Fri. 8 p.m., Sat. 2:30 & 8 p.m., Sun. 2:30 & 7:30 p.m. June 1-17. $35. (714) 994-6150.