Comedy Hits, Misses in ‘Affairs’ One-Acts

A cumbersome performance or two aside, “Public Affairs,” a program of two A.R. Gurney one-acts, is pleasantly diverting but somewhat limited in its thematic scope. Although the pieces are physically well-suited to the tiny Enclave Theatre (formerly the Jewelbox), they seem an insubstantial choice for the Copperview Theatre Company’s premiere production in its new Hollywood space.

“The Love Course,” the opening play, features the steamy intellectual interaction between the highly theatrical Professor Carroway (Andrea Pandazedes) and her more conservative colleague, Professor Burgess (Patrick Rowan). As co-lecturers in a course on love themes in classic literature, the squabbling, torridly platonic duo recites impassioned passages from Shakespeare and “Wuthering Heights”--the literary equivalent of foreplay in a relationship that will never be consummated.

It’s a flip and witty little piece, competently directed by Steve Salotto, who also directs “The Open Meeting,” a far more absurdist comedy about three ideologically disparate representatives at an emotionally charged public meeting. The agenda behind this bizarre gathering remains inchoate, as are imprecise performances by Ken Suarez and John Rappazzini as sworn enemies who fail to identify a far more deadly adversary nearby. More pointed, if overly broad, is Celeste A. Frazier’s unexpectedly nefarious Verna, a Machiavelli in meek guise.

*

* “Public Affairs,” Enclave, 1955 Cahuenga Blvd., Hollywood. Sundays, 7 p.m. Ends Oct. 4. $10. (323) 469-4343. Running time: 1 hour, 40 minutes.