Theater Reviews : ‘Romancing the Orange’ Rebuffs Any Advances

SANTA ANA —  Once upon a time, way back in the prehistory of 1992, it seemed the Orange County Crazies might become a home-grown troupe with an underground sensibility. They had done a handful of slightly subversive shows that cultivated a naughty attitude toward suburbia.

The Crazies didn’t just knock South Coast Plaza and Disneyland or lampoon Irvine liberals, Laguna Beach gays and Newport Beach yuppies, they sent up lonely-heart singles, women addicted to shoulder pads, Latino machismo, Jewish guilt, Mothers Against Drunk Drivers, county supervisors, Garden Grove preachers.

If this politically incorrect troupe was vulgar and thin on talent (except for a few performers mainly from Los Angeles), it was at least intermittently funny. With “Romancing the Orange”--their 18th and latest show--the Crazies are still vulgar and politically incorrect. But they are less imaginative, thinner on talent and not funny at all. On opening night I counted the laughs on one hand and still had three fingers left.

In a truly underwhelming presentation, the revue offers a dozen or so fleeting yet time-consuming skits that don’t even rise to the level of mediocre sketches. The writing never makes good on the promise of the skit titles--”Hookers on Phonics,” “Miss Little Saigon,” “Eine Kleine Cucaracha,” among others--and the performances sink below awful.

*

The show’s overall title, a dated reference to the 10-year-old movie “Romancing the Stone,” holds still less promise as the idea for a motif: a running gag between skits about two horny lovers who are trailed to various malls by a gumshoe. Stampeding shoppers keep wrecking the lovers’ assignations and leave the woman increasingly battered, so that she eventually looks like a bandaged crash victim.

The production also appears to be seriously under-rehearsed, not that more rehearsal could save it. What it could do, though, is speed things up. You could knit sweaters in the setup time between skits. In fact, opening night might have been called “Concert in the Dark.” Keyboard player Tom Zink’s jazzy music, meant to cover the scene changes, actually came to dominate the show. Lucky for us Zink had a professional touch. Too bad it was the only one.

Side note:”Romancing the Orange” inaugurates a new performance space for the Crazies in the basement of the same downtown building where they’ve operated for years. Roughly 35 people attended the opening.

* “Romancing the Orange,” Orange County Crazies Theatre, 115 E. Santa Ana Blvd., Santa Ana. 8 p.m. Saturdays. Ends Dec. 10. $12. (714) 550-9900. Running Time: 2 hours, 20 minutes. An Orange County Crazies satirical revue of skits and improvisational pieces written and conceived by the cast. Produced and directed by Cherie Kerr. With Toni Ala, Nina Arnelli, John Beane, Beau Brower, Patty, Drake Doremus, Cherie Kerr, Steve Morris, Jennifer Rendek, Jeromey Shafer, Janet Thornton, Patsy Fung, Carrie Gifford, Eric Halasz, Lizanne. Musical director and keyboard player: Tom Zink. Line producer: Eric Halasz. Lighting and sound: Christopher Welle. Production manager: Toni Ala.