Scandal in San Pedro

By John Farrell, Curtain Call Writer

Head to downtown New York for a delightful evening of sexual intrigue, all without having to go any farther than the Little Fish Theatre in San Pedro.

Central Park West is Woody Allen’s one-act play that involves all the participants, including an Allen clone, in the devious doings of a group of New Yorkers in marital infidelity and lots of fast and highly biting wit. It is on at Little Fish through May 22 in the playhouse’s mid-week series.

From the moment Phyllis (Belinda Howell) doesn’t answer her door — pouring herself a martini instead — to the final moments,just over an hour later, everyone, including young and mostly innocent Juliet (Rhiannon Heather Franck-Thompson) are revealed as involved in the sexual plots of Phyllis’ husband Sam (David Kiernan).

Sam has been sleeping with a lot of people, including Carol (Jennifer Faneuff). It is Carol who first gets interrogated. By the time Howard (Paul LaGreca, in a near-perfect imitation of Allen’s mousy on-screen persona) gets involved you are fully intrigued and wondering where it will all end.

There is a bit of a hidden meaning, a roman à clef, in this play since Allen in real life has had a couple of scandals involving younger woman and this play is about that, in part, but you don’t have to know anything about those scandals (though you can Google them) to appreciate this work.

Marge Schugt directs and allows her actors free hand, keeping the dialog crisp and effective.

Tickets are $27, $24 for seniors. Performances are at 8 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays through May 22, with a single matinee May 18.

Details: (310) 512-6030; www.littlefishtheatre.org
Venue: Little Fish Theatre
Location 777 Centre St., San Pedro