Stars give ‘Triangle’ appeal

By conventional critical yardsticks, “Bermuda Avenue Triangle” is a mess. A formulaic sitcom laced with four-letter words about a pair of crotchety widows who find late-blooming romance in a two-timing con man’s seductive charms, this crowd-pleaser was a thinly veiled star vehicle for its co-creators, the husband-and-wife team of Joe Bologna and Renee Taylor (the couple also directed).

Returning to Los Angeles after a successful off-Broadway run, the revival at the Brentwood Theatre unabashedly flaunts its corny Borscht Belt-era shtick, over-the-top performances and arbitrary plot points contrived to serve punch lines rather than the other way around. Some opening-weekend gaffes and dropped lines compounded the material’s inherent shortcomings. If you’re looking for a well-made play, this isn’t it.

Yet leaving it at that would fail to acknowledge the reasons for the show’s undeniable audience appeal, limitations notwithstanding.

First, there’s the charismatic chemistry between veteran performers who know how to work a crowd. As a pair of transplanted New Yorkers coerced into sharing a condo in a Las Vegas retirement complex, Taylor and Lainie Kazan make the most of their respective ethnic stereotypes -- Fannie, a kvetching Jewish mother, and Tess, a dour Sicilian Catholic matron. Related by a distant family marriage, the two share little more than defeatist attitudes and a finely honed ability to heap guilt on their daughters (Tricia Leigh Fisher and Rita McKenzie). Manny Kleinmuntz intermittently intrudes as an affably befuddled rabbi charged with enforcing condo association policies.

Following the improbable setup that lands the reluctant roommates in their garish new home, an even less plausible plot device foists an unexpected houseguest on them in the form of Bologna’s slick, well-dressed gambler, Johnny Paolucci, who promptly begins separately courting (and exploiting) each, unbeknownst to the other.

All three leads understand this show is driven not by plot or character, but by star presence, which they deliver in spades. With calm assurance, Bologna’s courtship-minded Johnny swings suavely into action, straightening his tie and pressing the crease in his trousers with his fingers. Under his influence, Tess evolves from sarcastic cynic to aria-belting love machine, allowing Kazan to leverage her talents for both caustic delivery and song.

In the evening’s high point -- Fannie’s hilarious monologue about her philandering late husband -- Taylor’s pitch-perfect ditzy recitation and Bologna’s genial encouragement play like a well-oiled Burns and Allen routine. Nevertheless, the staging throughout could be sharpened by an independent director.

“Bermuda Avenue Triangle” doesn’t even adhere to its own internal logic, but it does tap into a fundamental underlying truth: Beneath Tess and Fannie’s grousing is an all-too-realistic terror of aging into uselessness -- of outliving their own lives.

The play’s affirmations may carry their share of wishful thinking, but the heartfelt onstage interplay between Taylor and Bologna is living proof that affection and partnership are possible at any stage of life.

*

‘Bermuda Avenue Triangle’

Where: Brentwood Theatre, 11301 Wilshire Blvd.

When: 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays, 3 p.m. Sundays

Ends: June 25

Price: $35 to $58

Contact: (213) 365-3500

Running time: 2 hours, 35 minutes