‘Better Days’ Makes Best of Hard Times : Theater: Director Tony Reverditto says the Way Off Broadway production will make anyone feel good about his own life, no matter how grim.

SANTA ANA —  Richard Dresser’s “Better Days” is about economic hardship, the homeless, hunger, looting, arson and assorted other cheery subjects. Now, is this a play for the holidays or what?

You bet, says Tony Reverditto, founder of the Way Off Broadway Playhouse where “Better Days” opens tonight. Things are so bad in Dresser’s twisted comedy that Reverditto, who directed the production, says anyone who shows up just has to feel good about his own life, no matter how grim.

“These characters have it worse than we do. That’s sort of why I picked it for Christmas, just to give some hope,” explained Reverditto, a man who’s not shy about taking the, uh, untrod path with his tiny basement theater.

“Also, it personifies, with a rare sense of humor, the instinct for survival in the American working class. That’s something valuable. But what I really like is that it shows that we’ve got it easier than some people.”

There was another reason Reverditto chose “Better Days” for Way Off Broadway, a playhouse known for taking campy chances. In the summer of ‘91, the theater enjoyed its biggest hit with a staging of Dresser’s “Alone at the Beach.” Besides receiving pretty good reviews, the show sold out every night.

“People know something of (what to expect) because they saw ‘Alone at the Beach,’ ” he said. “They know it will be funny but also intelligent because Dresser is such a good writer; he knows how to tell a good story.

“But I have to admit that I wanted something that would sell tickets; you have to look at the bottom line, and there is the business (angle) to consider.”

Actually, Reverditto said that Way Off Broadway is doing reasonably well financially. You couldn’t say the same about the contemporary New England town where Dresser has set “Better Days.”

The mill has closed, leaving just about everybody out of a job. The winter is a nasty one. Packs of dogs roam the streets. Professional arsonists are out for insurance paydays. The hungry steal food; the cold burn their furniture to keep warm.

With all this bleakness, the humor has to be, well, way off--as are most of the characters. That includes Bill, the con-artist leader of a growing firebug business, and Ray, one of the displaced factory workers who opens the True Value Church. Ray’s wife, Faye, a more practical sort, works at the Hungry Pilgrim restaurant.

The couple inadvertently hooks up with Bill through a classified ad, later learning that he has big plans to torch the entire town. Ray’s mill pals are pursuing new careers, including working at the local 7-Eleven or selling Amway products out of their homes.

Dresser, who has written for television (“The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd”) as well as stage, has received several kudos for “Better Days” since it premiered in 1986. Many critics have applauded Dresser’s ability to look at decidedly rough economic times in hilarious ways, in the process making the social malaise more accessible to an audience.

But not all the reviews have been favorable. In a 1991 critique, the New York Times noted that the play “has a far-out sense of humor and the timeliest of subjects. But it is a cluttered, overlong comedy without a clear train of thought. Gags march in (and some fall flat) and plots collide.”

Reverditto doesn’t buy much of that, but he agrees that “Better Days” requires sure-handed direction to avoid the pitfalls.

“To me, (the Times’) knock is probably directorial and not so much the play,” he said. “There are a few things that, in some ways, are loose ends that need to be tied together, but I don’t agree that it is long; it really has some good story lines, and people get something out of them.”

The comedy’s relevance is the main reward, he added. “It seems like everybody has been talking and thinking about recession, recession, recession, especially since the (presidential) election. These characters really tie into that.

“In fact, I wish that (President-elect) Clinton could see this (because) I think he could relate to it. The economic significance is right there . . . and so is the humor.”

The Way Off Broadway Playhouse’s production of Richard Dresser’s “Better Days” opens tonight at 8 p.m. and continues Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. through Jan. 23, with a Jan. 24 matinee at 2 p.m. The theater is at 1058 E. First St., Santa Ana. Tickets: $12.50 and $15. (714) 547-8997.