THEATER REVIEW:Early Albee one-acts retain bite

Back in the late 1950s and early ‘60s, Edward Albee tuned up for his monumental work — “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” — by churning out several one-act plays satirizing American life. Two of the most notable are being presented at Orange Coast College.

“The American Dream” (1961) and “The Zoo Story” (1960) are angry playlets, rattling the cage of the status quo in an era still bathed in the comfort of the calm and peaceful ‘50s. Vietnam wouldn’t begin to prick the public conscience for another few years.

Under the banner of “Two Short Albees,” OCC’s Student Repertory Theater revives the one-acts with style and substance, as well as some terrific interpretations, under the direction of Sean Engard and Jamie Black, respectively.

In the opener, “The American Dream,” we see the precursors of “Woolf’s” George and Martha in the personages of Mommy and Daddy, a tensely contented couple nicely enacted by Jennifer Stoneman and Sean Coutu. As Stoneman rattles on vacuously, Coutu cringes and feigns suicide. Their performances complement one another splendidly.

Three other characters complete the picture of off-center suburbia. Grandma (Kari Venaas) is a crotchety old harridan pushing around both her daughter and son-in-law. Taylor McDermott exudes a menacing sexuality as the neighbor lady continually referring to herself as we, and Patrick Koffel completes the picture as the title character, a muscular pretty boy sent to align the lives of the main characters.

While “American Dream” is comedic satire, Albee employed a more vicious brand with “The Zoo Story,” a two-character epic pitting contrasting characters into a tense situation shrouded by isolation and loneliness.

Peter (Steve Gordon) is a well-dressed, upwardly mobile fellow reading a book on a park bench when Jerry (Tim Zimmer), a streetwise nut case, arrives and intrudes repeatedly on Peter’s space. He bears ominous tidings about a zoo incident that he never gets around to elaborating on, though he holds Peter in thrall recounting an episode with a neighbor’s dog.

Zimmer renders a brilliant, electric performance, although director Black has him expounding downstage, away from Gordon, on too many occasions, giving the show a presentational approach. Nevertheless, Zimmer captures the essence of the character beautifully, and Gordon’s shocked reactions complete the picture effectively.

Albee’s biting one-acts have been absent from local theaters for many years, but now with the playwright hot again (a new revival of “Woolf” just opened in Los Angeles), interest in his other works has been fanned.

“American Dream” and “Zoo Story” are nearly a half a century old, but they haven’t lost their power to satirize and shock. The student productions at Orange Coast College have put their best feet forward on these two playlets.

IF YOU GO

WHAT: “Two Short Albees” (“The American Dream” and “The Zoo Story”)

WHERE: Orange Coast College

WHEN: Closing performances at 8 p.m. tonight and Saturday, and at 2:30 and 7 p.m. Sunday

COST: $8

CALL: (714) 432-5880