‘Pictures’ Done Just as It Ought to Be

It seems odd at first that the Vanguard Theatre Ensemble is doing an early Neil Simon play. Its fare, as reflected in the troupe’s name, is generally more esoteric and adventuresome. This is the first Simon they’ve done.

On second thought, perhaps it’s not such a strange choice. “I Ought to Be in Pictures,” from 1980, was one of the first plays to hint at a writer more serious than the one known for sitcom plays such as “The Odd Couple” and “Barefoot in the Park.”

“I Ought to Be in Pictures” has a great deal of heart, and the one-liners usually take second place to the deeper relationship at the core of the play.

Herb Tucker is a Hollywood screenwriter whose career and confidence are rapidly ebbing. He spends most of his time at the racetrack and has piles of empty pages beside his typewriter.

Suddenly Herb’s 19-year-old daughter, Libby, appears, having hitchhiked from New York. They haven’t seen each other or spoken in 16 years, since Herb walked out on his failing marriage.

Libby is hot for a Hollywood acting career, for which she is totally unqualified; Herb wishes she would just disappear. But he slowly falls for her prematurely wise machinations and gradually realizes how much seeing her means to him.

The brash, thoroughly Brooklynese attitudes of these two characters create a minor battleground that rocks between laughter and tears as father and daughter move closer. It’s a touching and probing match of wits and affection, not the stuff typical of Simon’s early work.

In Fullerton, K. Robert Eaton directs brightly and with warmth and humor. Still, in the end, the effectiveness of this revival is in the performances of Vince Campbell as Herb and Sienna Spencer as Libby.

*

The actors are credible, and their use of subtext, the subtle shadings and cadences that pingpong between them, are impressive. They leave no doubt about the Brooklyn heritage of their characters and--especially in the second act when Libby breaks down and explains the real reason for her visit--are believably father and daughter.

As Herb’s flame, Steffy Blondell, with whom he is not about to make a commitment, Marcia Bonnitz is appealing and interesting but doesn’t seem to have connected with her character as Campbell and Spencer have with theirs. Too often one can see Bonnitz acting Steffy rather than being Steffy.

* “I Ought to Be in Pictures,” Vanguard Theatre, 699-A S. State College Blvd., Fullerton. 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, 5 p.m. Sunday. $15-$17. Ends Feb 6. (714) 526-8007. Running time: 2 hours, 40 minutes.

Vince Campbell: Herb

Sienna Spencer: Libby

Marcia Bonnitz: Steffy

A Vanguard Theatre Ensemble production of Neil Simon’s comedy-drama. Directed by K. Robert Eaton. Scenic/lighting design: Robert Mumm. Costume design: Anna Lloyd. Stage manager: Victoria Hutchings.