‘Riot Act’ Energy Gives Sketches a Lift

Producer-director Braddon Mendelson touts his evening of sketch comedy, “The Riot Act” at the Hollywood Playhouse, as a return to a classic genre displaced by improv and stand-up-based performance.

Mendelson’s emphasis on scripted scenes, however, would be an easier discriminant to appreciate if “The Riot Act” offered more surprises in its 20-odd skits. Instead, Mendelson and co-writer Mark Pirro take aim at too many obvious and overworked topics--infomercials, the Simpson trial, homosexuals--to lay much claim to originality.

Nevertheless, the revue stays watchable thanks to brisk pacing and energetic characterizations from the 12-member troupe, among whom Holly Long, Denise Jaffe, Petro Nicholas and Lisa Forestier distinguish themselves for versatility.

Each week, a different celebrity host introduces the show and joins in some of the sketches a la “Saturday Night Live”--in the reviewed performance, Christopher Atkins amusingly poked fun at his own “stardom.” Among the more successful premises: a woman introducing her clown fiance to her parents, off-line chatter at a phone-sex hot line, and a “Way Good Discoveries” spotlight on a breakthrough technique for memory loss. On the miss side, a recurring ad features babe-flanked entrepreneur Dong Woo, whose cliched accent goes too far.

Then again, nobody said this was going to be tasteful.

* “The Riot Act,” Hollywood Playhouse, 1445 N. Las Palmas, Hollywood, Fridays, Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 2 p.m. Runs indefinitely. $17.50. (213) 660-8587. Running time: 1 hour, 50 minutes.