Comedy at MJC blurs fantasy, reality for some surprises

"Private Eyes," a comedy of suspicion now running at Modesto Junior College's Little Theatre, is for those who love puzzles and mind games.

There's not much in the way of character depth in Steven Dietz's 1996 play, but there are plenty of twists and turns. The line between reality and fantasy is blurred -- it's never certain which is which.

The play centers on a love triangle between an actress, her actor husband and their director. A gun goes off in the second act, but it's impossible to say much more about what happens without spoiling the many surprises.

Under Michael Lynch's direction, the show has the feel of a circus, with some vaudeville antics and paparazzi who swoop down onto the stage wearing Groucho Marx glasses.

Lindsay Pearce delivers a star-quality performance as the female lead, Lisa. Strikingly beautiful with considerable charisma, Pearce's Lisa is outspoken and full of confidence.

Dressed in black leather and wearing heavy eyeliner, Steven Linhares has a ball as the über-cool British director, Adrian. He's hipper than anyone in the room and makes sure everyone knows it.

Fernando Gonzalez, who plays Lisa's husband, Matthew, spends most of the show being angry, hurt and bitter about his wife's dalliances.

Anemone Jones drifts around the edges of the action in a variety of disguises and rarely gives a straight answer about who she is or what she's doing. Diane Rodrigues, who plays a therapist, is the wisest character of any on the stage.

The first act is the most compelling because of some clever twists.

The second act lags a bit as some of the tricks become old and repetitive. The constant bickering and navel gazing of the main trio may become tedious to some.

Kevin Saunders' ingenious rotating set moves from an office to a bedroom without taking up a lot of space. Anne Shanto's costumes range from suave to sexy and fit what you would expect of Hollywood performers.

The show provides an alternative to the family holiday fare available everywhere else this time of year. "Private Eyes" is definitely a production for adults because of the content about relationship struggles and some off-color language.

For more on Modesto area arts, go to www.twitter.com/lisamillegan or thehive.modbee.com/arts.

This story was originally published December 7, 2009 at 11:19 PM with the headline "Comedy at MJC blurs fantasy, reality for some surprises."