THEATER REVIEW:

Reviving — or perhaps “resurrecting” is the operative word — a play written in the early 1930s for presentation to today’s audiences is fraught with peril, but to its credit, Ayn Rand’s courtroom drama “Night of January 16th” holds up as well as could be expected at the Huntington Beach Playhouse.

For its first two acts, director Earl Byers’ production is taut and involving. The fact that the wheels tend to come off in the third act lies basically at the feet of the playwright, though some egregious overplaying in one instance certainly greases the skids under this venerable vehicle.

“Night of January 16th” was one of Rand’s earlier works, predating such titanic novels as “The Fountainhead” and “Atlas Shrugged.”

Its characters, for the most part, are drawn with the strident individualism that would mark those future achievements, but some stereotypical moments peculiar to the period emerge in the later scenes, making them almost laughable for the 2008 playgoer.

To begin with, the courtroom battle is pitched between two strong attorneys, but this is hardly the case on the Huntington Beach stage.

While Richard C. Hawkes is crisp and confident as the defense counsel, Michael Corcoran’s prosecutor is hesitant and tentative, suggesting an unintended weakness that tips the scales in the defendant’s favor.

That defendant, the stunning and self-assured Karen Andre, is beautifully rendered by Marisa L. Persson, who commands attention even while reposing at the defense table. Even so, Persson is careful not to overstate her case until her meatier scenes come up late in the proceedings.

Whether Karen’s lover, a corrupt captain of industry, fell to his death from his penthouse or was pushed is the question occupying the first act and much of the second as several witnesses (entering from the audience) tell the story from their perspectives.

Then the melodrama kicks in, turning the play in an entirely new direction.

Gill Garci, as the notorious gangster “Guts” Regan, comes on with a bang, spouting dialogue that would be more at home in a “Dick Tracy” movie serial of the period.

His caricature runs counter to the solid characterizations of the others, and Rand’s convoluted plotting further muddles the messy final act.

Some excellent performances emerge in cameo testimony.

Ivar Vasco is ruthlessly effective as a powerful bank executive; Beth Maiques glitters as his daughter, the victim’s widow; Candy Beck draws a splendid characterization as the penthouse maid; Robert Purcell is believable as the building’s night watchman, and John Townsend is eerily effective as the victim’s zombie-ish, steadfastly loyal accountant.

Nick Pappas keeps order in the court with authority as the judge, while Rob Lanning, Jim Perham, Randy Fletcher and Brenda Glim contribute nicely in briefer assignments.

Should you attend a future performance, you might find yourself watching from the jury box, because jurors are selected from the audience. These 12 decide the defendant’s guilt or innocence, with differing endings scripted based on that verdict.

“Night of January 16th” still packs a punch, but the play also brings a good deal of 1930s baggage to the Huntington Beach stage.

IF YOU GO

WHAT: “Night of January 16th”

WHO: Huntington Beach Playhouse

WHERE: Library Theater, 7111 Talbert Ave., Huntington Beach

WHEN: 8 p.m. Fridays, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays, 1 and 7 p.m. Sundays through Sept. 7

COST: $18 to $20

CALL: (714) 375-0696

TOM TITUS reviews local theater for the Independent.