Fleabitten Productions marks anniversary in Costa Mesa

Tom Titus

After a nomadic first year of existence, the fledgling band of

Thespians known collectively as Fleabitten Productions is celebrating

its first anniversary, right back where it started, at the Costa Mesa

Civic Playhouse.

The troupe -- which marked its initial anniversary Sept. 3 --

opens its latest show, “All in the Timing,” tonight, but since the

company publicity machine didn’t churn out this news until the

production was about to hit the boards, we’ll have to take a look at

it next weekend before checking back in with a report.

It was at the Civic Playhouse that Fleabitten was officially born,

with the comedy “Jerry Finnegan’s Sister” last fall. That show

remains in the company’s repertoire and will be repeated in late

October and early November in Bellflower.

“This play feels like our signature piece,” director Gregory Cohen

commented. “It started out the company with a very successful run. It

will be fun to see these two [Joe Hogan and Jessica Culaciati] go

through their paces again. And it gives people who might have missed

the show the first time around to catch it in its new incarnation.”

At the moment, however, the Fleabitten players are in residence at

the Costa Mesa Civic Playhouse with David Ives’ “All in the Timing,”

under Hogan’s direction. This is the collective title for eight

one-act comedies described as a “fast-paced celebration of word play

and the music of language.” It’s actually the second staging of the

Ives playlets locally this year; Golden West College put the octet on

the boards a few months ago.

“I’m thrilled to be opening this show at the Costa Mesa Civic

Playhouse,” Cohen said. “This is where our first production opened

last year and it feels lucky to us. I hope we can continue this

wonderful relationship with the CMCP board of directors. They’ve made

us feel so much at home.”

“All in the Timing” continues through Oct. 4 with performances

Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sunday matinees Sept. 21 and 28

at 2 p.m. Reservations are taken at (714) 647-2474.

The Fleabitten players will continue to pop up here and there

around the Southland in future months. Once the reprise of “Jerry

Finnegan’s Sister” is on stage in Bellflower, the company’s adjunct

troupe, the Fleabitten Varmints, will do a Halloween show Oct. 26 in

North Hollywood. And, to kick off the new year, there’ll be a staging

of the baseball-oriented comedy “Bleacher Bums” in Bellflower,

running from mid-February through early March.

According to Cohen, Fleabitten Productions is dedicated to the

creation of quality professional entertainment that is both

intelligent and accessible. “It is our goal to provide a safe

environment for artists to create and audiences to enjoy theatrical

entertainment of all kinds,” he noted.

Fleabitten is the brainchild of Cohen and Hogan, developed out of

a love for all aspects of theater. Because of their avid love for

dogs, Cohen felt the name “Fleabitten” was an appropriate name for

their new endeavor. Because Hogan’s Basset hound, Winston, has the

perfect “sad face” and Cohen’s Welsh Corgi, Phoebe, seemed to wear a

constant smirk, Hogan suggested that Fleabitten’s logo should be a

twist on the comedy and tragedy masks.

It’s hard to hit, much less find, a moving target, but the

Fleabitten troupe seems to have had a successful first year of

operation, bouncing from Costa Mesa to Bellflower, North Hollywood

and back again.

The group now numbers over two dozen members and is seeking a

place to put down stakes permanently. With the departure of the

Trilogy Playhouse from Costa Mesa last year, it seems there would be

room right here.

* TOM TITUS reviews local theater for the Daily Pilot. His reviews

appear Fridays.