Stark, Ladman, Hasty

Entertainment at our fingertips has become the expectation we hold as consumers, spectators, patrons, and players. We often do our own program scheduling, and we want it available to us when we want to use it. iTunes, iPods, live streaming, TiVo, and the ever-evolving home entertainment center are at our beck and call 24/7 every minute of the year here in the 21st century. But back in the day, a lifetime or so ago, that was not the state of the art. During the 1930s and 40s (and into the mid-1950s) radio was the hot technology, teaming audiences with appointed programming that came to be known as "theater-of-the-mind."

Now, thanks to the direction of David Koff, the scripts from several popular radio shows have been retrieved, revivified, and are being performed with vitality by an ensemble of able players. The production is called Fake Radio, and it provides a sweet trip back to yesteryear, when programs such as Dragnet, Gunsmoke, The Lone Ranger, and The Jack Benny Show ruled the radio airwaves.

At the reviewed show, the Fake Radio cast performed as an opener a short-script (from start to finish about 10 minutes) from The Adventures of Superman, circa 1948—titled Dead Man's Secret. It's charming to see these performers—especially Andrew Koenig as Superman and Dan Kinsella as the Frenchman Henri—doing a sort of play-in-a-play scenario here: The actors are perfectly costumed and coiffed as performers from the era (kudos to designer Tammy Markwick), showing-up to do their voice-acting as if the clock has been turned back seven or eight decades.

That was merely the appetizer, however, in a heaping helping and mostly tasty meal of radio drama. The main entree offered is the romantic comedy The Philadelphia Story by Philip Barry, and while the narrative is difficult to follow given the busyness surrounding this show-within-a-show format, the liveliness of the performers (Zack Hanks, Denny Segal, and David Koff incarnating James Stewart, Katherine Hepburn, and Cary Grant, respectively, reprising their film roles for the radio broadcast) still make the effort worthwhile. Again, it was enchanting to see these actors doing the job of "on-air" acting. Peter Lownds, as famed director Cecil B. De Mille, is particularly impressive in conveying the gravitas we might expect from the renowned auteur.

Sure, it was opening night and, as is the practice with the Fake Radio company, the actors show up just an hour prior to show time to get a glimpse of the script(s) from which they'll be reading. So line gaffes, miscues, and timing issues plagued the inchoate proceedings at the debut show. Nevertheless, these journeyman performers are the very incarnation of the entertainer's motto, The-Show-Must-Go-On. They are to a person spontaneous, fun-loving, and wholly committed to their characterizations. And that is what makes Fake Radio must-see-entertainment.

Fake Radio continues Thursday through Saturday at The Lost Studio—130 South La Brea, Los Angeles (it's upstairs one flight, and there's no elevator). Show times are at 8 p.m. Scripts rotate as do celebrity guest stars. At the reviewed event, comedienne Cathy Ladman participated as an actor. Upcoming shows will feature Marsha Wallace ("The Bob Newhart Show") and Loraine Newman (an original cast member of "Saturday Night Live") taking roles in shows such as "The Lone Ranger," "Batman," and "Meet Me in St. Louis." For reservations, call (877) 460 – 9774. For further information and online ticketing, visit HYPERLINK "http://www.fakeradio.net" www.fakeradio.net.