Angel’s Fight

Reviewed by Paul Birchall
Three Clubs Stage Theater
Through June 25

RECOMMENDED

If you’re seeing too many “Serious Plays” at this year’s Fringe — you know, burly dudes beating their girlfriends, or another eye-glazing solo showcase about recovering from some dreadful disease or tragedy — playwright Matt Ritchey and Benjamin Schwartz’s sweet and utterly insubstantial film noir spoof provides just the sorbet to clear your palate before the next “important” show.  In truth, Ritchey and Schwartz’s comedy is feather light and breeze slight —but the production boasts some good gags and, with the involvement of the Cherry Poppins Burlesque dance troupe, some delightful and quite ambitious dance interludes by a chorus of sultry dancers. 

The play opens with a dazzling production number (particularly amazing considering the postage stamp-sized stage at the Three Clubs Bar) that calls to mind Maurice Binder’s James Bond movie title sequences, replete with leggy beauties posing while a chanteuse sings a Shirley Bassey-like song.  From there, boozy down-on-his-heels private detective Duff (a nicely deadpan Schoen Hodges) is hired by a sinister beauty (Alli Miller) to find her missing sister Grace (Sarah Haworth), a former dancer at the deliciously demi-monde-y club “The Cherry Patch.”  Grace has vanished, but Duff’s investigation gradually leads him down a rabbit hole of sleaze and cheese as it appears that Grace has become embroiled in a scheme to sell – gasp! – Mary Jane, or as they call it, “reefer.” 

The gags are silly, but the performers dispatch them with commendably crisp comic timing and commitment.  When all else fails, one of the characters just makes a bad pun — or Hodges’ grumpy Duff opines something like “Why, if it isn’t the two guys that are the reason why mommy drinks.”  It isn’t really a play that impresses with its dramatic heft, mind you — that seems to be unimportant:  It’s just silly cheery fun and, what with the leggy dance interludes, it is simply a good daffy time with a nice beer or two.  

Three Clubs Stage Room, 1123 N. Vine, Hollywood; https://hff16.org/3353.  Running time:  One hour and ten minutes.