Acting Saves ‘Bar’ From Dive-dom

IRVINE — Things are looking apocalyptic in Bruce Graham’s “Early One Evening at the Rainbow Bar & Grille,” where the regulars of a local dive show up to fret over the end of the world.

Not a cheery premise, but it’s one that Graham tries to use for laughs, if not always successfully. The play has a heavy sitcom vibe, where the one-liners keep coming, often at the expense of character development. “Early One Evening” gets a sporadically amusing staging by the Irvine Community Theater, mainly because of the decent ensemble acting.

Under Marc LeBlanc’s direction, the performances are especially solid in the second act, when the all-knowing Jo (Jennifer Boudreau) shows up, performing celestial magic and claiming to be God. The bad gags mix with the good, but it isn’t as joke-troubled as what transpires before intermission.

In the rough first act, Graham introduces the regulars of the Rainbow Bar & Grille, said to be somewhere out West, maybe New Mexico, maybe California. The uncredited set is rudimentary: a table, a makeshift counter and a fake jukebox in the corner.

Shep (Bill Ertle) is in charge, dispensing drinks, making sandwiches and observing the goofy characters. Mostly he thinks about his crummy life and how getting wiped out in the coming holocaust might not be so terrible.

Soon the locals appear--nervous mechanic Roy (Siavash Hazini), paramilitary nut Willy (Chris Coleman), sex-hungry Shirley (Kip Hogan) and gym teacher Virginia (Wendy Carp). Shep is crazy about her, even if she is the crankiest person in town.

While Shep moons over Virginia and contemplates suicide, Roy wants to get to Disney World before the end comes. Willy wants to shoot some folks, including his dentist. Shirley wants to get laid. Shep’s the most likely candidate. She doesn’t know he’s impotent.

Eventually, there’s obscure talk about global catastrophe. The East Coast has been hit, but nobody’s sure who to blame. The Russians, the Chinese, the Arabs?

Then Jo comes around, and it gets philosophical. With Jo/God’s help, maybe Shep and Virginia can change their names to Adam and Eve and usher in a new paradise after everyone else is fried.

The best acting comes from Ertle and Boudreau. Ertle doesn’t massage the often-limp lines too much, giving Shep a kind of homespun dignity. As the center of attention, this Shep is very likable guy. As for Boudreau, she presents God as a fun-loving character with a good sense of humor; with her in charge, heaven could be kicky.

The rest of the cast does pretty well, although Carp doesn’t seem comfortable playing Virginia. There isn’t the slightest spark between Virginia and Shep; Carp needs to relax and become more playful during the crucial romantic scenes.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

* “Early One Evening at the Rainbow Bar & Grille,” Irvine Community Theater, Turtle Rock Community Park, 1 Sunnyhill. Friday-Saturday, 8 p.m., with a 2 p.m. matinee Sunday. Ends Aug. 16. $6 and $8. (714) 857-5496. Running time: 2 hours.

Bill Ertle: Shep

Siavash Hazini: Roy

Chris Coleman: Willy

Edward J. Steneck: Bullard

Kip Hogan: Shirley

Wendy Carp: Virginia

Jennifer Boudreau: Jo

An Irvine Community Theater production of Bruce Graham’s comedy, directed by Marc LeBlanc. Assistant director: Lisa Schuyler. Sound: Tom Hardy. Stage manager: Jessica Kingery.