It has been more than a decade since this ode to late 1970s adolescence has appeared on an L.A. stage. It's hard to imagine why there was a long absence for this Justin Tanner (Pot Mom) script, given that in only 75 minutes Tanner builds interesting characters who say believable things. Putting aside the age difference between the leads and the roles they portray, the vibrant performances and director Matt Roth's purposefully flurried pacing make the laugh lines funnier and the sense of teen angst and awkwardness ring true.
Set in 1979 on a late spring evening in the sleepy California town of Salinas, the story revolves around friends Susan (Zoe Perry) and Tricia (Audrey Siegel). Susan's mother is out of town, and though Susan is more of a good girl with intentions of studying, Tricia wants to have some fun. Next-door neighbor Mrs. Burns (Johanna McKay) is keeping an eye out, but then Susan's former babysitter Mary (Chloe Taylor) -- now a drug-abusing wild girl -- comes for a visit from Los Angeles. Mix in Susan's longtime crush, Dennis (Cody Chappel), and Mary's latest guy, Pete (Todd Lowe), and things get out of hand.
Perry and Siegel effortlessly toss about quick bits of girl talk, expertly running over each other's lines while using the sarcastic tone teens have perfected over the generations. Perry is a study in discomfort. Her shoulder shrugs, tugs at her unflattering jeans, and embarrassed glances are never overplayed for the sake of an easy laugh. But the scene-stealer is McKay as the tough-minded Mrs. Burns. She mixes equal parts judgmental disappointment with jealousy of youth, and the combination is consistently funny.
Gary Guidinger's backyard-back-of-house set, blended with his subtle lighting design as the warm day turns to night, provides a relaxed atmosphere and gives room for action to take place in several locales at once without feeling cramped. Tanner at his best tinges honest stories with a sense of the nutty. In this case it makes for an entertaining combination.
Presented by Hollywood Neon Productions at the Zephyr Theatre,
7456 Melrose Ave., Hollywood.
Thu.-Sat. 8 p.m. May 15-Jun. 21.
(323) 960-7789. www.plays411.com/teengirl.