Fleabitten starts with comedy

Tom Titus

If Woody Allen had written “When Harry Met Sally” and made the

characters about a decade younger, the result might have looked a lot

like Jack Neary’s “Jerry Finnegan’s Sister.”

This two-character, offbeat romantic comedy, which ushers in the

new, Huntington Beach-based Fleabitten Productions theater company,

is playing weekends through Dec. 22 at the Costa Mesa Civic

Playhouse.

Director Gregory Cohen has staged a crisp, crackling two-hander.

It’s really difficult to view Cohen’s imaginative staging of this

show without recalling some of Allen’s cinematic travails.

The characters are next-door neighbors Brian and Beth, who meet

when he’s about to turn 10 and “quit playing with girls.”

Naturally, that feeling is shortlived, and Brian gradually warms

to the concept that Beth may become more than just a playmate or

buddy.

But Brian is plagued by Allen’s Alfred E. Neuman syndrome -- in

other words, he’s a bit of a dork -- while Beth becomes more and more

desirable, and less accessible as she begins dating a rapid

succession of suitors.

We never see these guys, of course. Nor do we see Jerry Finnegan,

Brian’s best friend. Brian (Joe Hogan) narrates the story as he’s

experiencing it, bringing Beth (Jessica Culaciati) on stage for the

highlight moments, of which there are many.

Hogan, although encountering a few lapses in timing on opening

night, ingratiates himself with the audience -- particularly the male

members, who can conjure up their own awkward moments from their

teenage dating experiences.

If you’re sitting down front, you may find yourself placed,

momentarily, in the action, as Hogan blissfully breaks through the

fourth wall to accentuate his point.

His accounts of dating disasters, particularly an extended piece

about unwisely choosing to taunt an actor during a one-man

performance in his school gym, are especially amusing. But his best

moments come near the end of the play, when he finally musters the

courage to approach Beth and suggest a social engagement.

Culaciati displays a wide range of interpretation -- from her

first appearance as a fully grown knockout to her next as a

thumb-sucking 9-year-old kid.

She gradually matures from gawky to sensuous, while Hogan’s

character pretty much maintains his nerdish demeanor. Also, she’s

permitted a number of character-enhancing costume changes while

Hogan, on stage 95% of the time, doesn’t have that luxury.

Fleabitten Productions is the brainchild of director Cohen and

actor Hogan, who also have formed an improvisational theater group

and are looking for a permanent performing facility for both,

possibly in Huntington Beach.

With the talent and energy that have gone into “Jerry Finnegan’s

Sister,” this dream soon should be a reality.

* TOM TITUS reviews local theater for the Independent.