Delicious Comedy From Wallem & Tolan

Back in the heyday of New York’s Blue Angel, the tiny nightclub was a center for intimate comedy and musical acts (Dorothy Loudon was a favorite). The watchword was “class,” the idiom intelligent, clever and inventive.

That just about describes “Wallem & Tolan Do the Coast,” at Hollywood’s Coast Playhouse. Even a couple of low spots don’t change the fact that this New York act is delicious, an invigorating and classy raft in the ocean of middling, mindless comedy.

Written by themselves, Linda Wallem and Peter Tolan, with music and lyrics by Tolan, the act sparkles like a Roman candle. If a sketch about a shrew of a wife who never lets her bumbling husband tell a story straight through just barely puts new polish on an old comic gem, the rest of their material is fresh and totally their own. Even the opening sketch, about a job interview, has an unusual twist and point of view.

The cream of the evening, though, is Tolan’s special musical material. A sendup of two icons, in a selection from the team of (Sam) Shepard and (Sir Arthur) Sullivan, skewers both--melodically and with lines like, “We’re elusive and depressed / It’s a helluva night in the West.” It’s only a warm-up for the hilarious finale, a medley of imaginary Broadway tunes from shows that, like current blockbusters, use ideas from unlikely literary sources: Irving Berlin’s “Metamorphosis,” Sondheim’s “Fun With Dick and Jane” and Kander & Ebb’s “The Iliad” (with Wallem a very funny Liza Minnelli).

“Wallem & Tolan Do the Coast,” Coast Playhouse, 8325 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood; Thursdays-Sundays, 8 p.m. Ends May 19. $12.50-$15; (213) 650-8507. Running time: 1 hour, 30 minutes.

‘Ten Percent’ a Warm, Witty Slice of Gay Life right here

The trouble with most people, including minorities, is that they have trouble laughing at themselves. The best thing about “Ten Percent Revue,” at the Melrose Theatre in Hollywood, is its ability to do just that--look at itself and laugh as it “explores the truth and consequences of gay and lesbian life.”

The show has been successful wherever it has played, and there’s no reason why this Los Angeles company shouldn’t follow suit. The material is gentle in its humor, Randy Brenner’s direction and staging are lively and engaging, and the performances are energetic and charming. David Ault, Jay P. Foley, Tudi Roche, Laurie Walton and musical director Susan Draus, all have fine voices and an exceptional blend when they get together in the ensemble numbers.

The material ranges from actual comments--ardently pro and avidly con--about the mythology that has surrounded homosexuality and real facts re same, to special material defining the hopes and fears of the gay community. Emphasis is not placed on the tragedy of AIDS, but it does get its mention, and provides the show’s most powerful moment, as David Ault sings a touching “Obituary” to a Gilbert Ramirez, who was a “screamer” and fought City Hall, died of AIDS and is “survived” by all those who are still here.

“Ten Percent Revue” is wise and often witty, and not just for Kinsey’s alleged “10%” that makes up its target audience.

“Ten Percent Revue,” Melrose Theatre, 733 N. Seward St., Hollywood; Thursdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 3 & 7 p.m. Indefinitely. $20; (213) 660-TKTS. Running time: 1 hour, 45 minutes.

‘Passengers’ a Series of Logic-Defying Snippets

Sam Bobrick is best known as co-author of “Norman, Is That You?” but he also created television’s “Saved by the Bell.” His “Passengers,” at Actors Forum near Universal City, is closer to the latter.

It concerns a Greyhound bus station in its final moments, and stories of some of the people who pass through it. The writing is very video oriented, and the snippets of tales all defy logic and lack dramatic strength.

Director Audrey M. Singer keeps everything moving on schedule, but only the sudden, bittersweet romance of a driver and the ticket seller (Christopher Thomas and Ursula Christian) allows the actors some honesty and depth. Fiona Lincke, in two roles, is also quite good in an otherwise self-indulgent company.

“Passengers,” Actors Forum, 3365 1/2 Cahuenga Blvd. West ; Fridays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 7 p.m. End May 26. $10; (213) 466-1767. Running time: 1 hour, 40 minutes.

‘Killing’ a Hodgepodge of Weak Little Skits

Except for those with financial interests at stake and those caught up in momentary jingoism, the recent goings-on in the Middle East were pretty dull. No TV movies have resulted and no theatrical dramas. Mean Street Ensemble optimistically tries to fill that gap with its “KIA--Killing Instigates Action,” at Hollywood’s Landmark Studios.

The optimism is short-lived. After the audience is blindfolded and led to a “press briefing” by commander Gen. Schmuckmeister, the show disintegrates into a hodgepodge of skits, both live and on video monitors, influenced by “Brecht, Artaud and the Sex Pistols.” Influence is not realization.

Conceived and directed by Francis Paul DellaVecchia, and written by the company (Desperate Spiritual Outlaws), it is juvenile and frequently unintentionally funny. A childishly written romance gets audience giggles, and lines like an Iraqi boy’s “Are we really going to Baghdad, dad?” are memorable for their dumbness.

As the lights go out at the end, DellaVecchia is for some reason bound from head to feet with yellow tape and a plastic bag is placed over his head. Too late.

“KIA--Killing Instigates Action,” Landmark Studios, 1455 N. Gordon St., Hollywood; Mondays-Wednesdays, 8 p.m. Ends May 15. $10; (213) 957-1335. Running time: 1 hour, 30 minutes.