Mystery, comedy are on tap

A new mystery, an old comedy and a series of plays each running under 10 minutes comprise the local theatrical menu for next weekend -- and just my luck, I’ll be out of town.

The newcomers are “Smoke and Mirrors,” a new (at least to local audiences) whodunit at the Newport Theater Arts Center; “A Flea in Her Ear,” Georges Feydeau’s French farce at UC Irvine; and Orange Coast College’s annual festival of short plays.

The Newport offering, written by Will Osborne and Anthony Herrera, is billed as a “riveting mystery on an isolated island off the Gulf Coast.” The plot revolves around a movie producer and his screenwriter, plotting against the insufferable star of their multimillion-dollar movie.

Directed by Darlene Hunter-Chaffee, the play features Eldon Callaway, Jack Messenger, Howard Patterson, Christi Sweeney and Geoffrey Varga. Performances will be given weekends through Nov. 11 (8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 2:30 p.m. Sundays) at the theater, 2501 Cliff Drive, Newport Beach, with reservations taken at (949) 631-0288. I’ll be back for the second weekend to catch this one.

“A Flea in Her Ear,” which plays two weekends through Nov. 19, was adapted by its director, UCI theater professor Eli Simon, and based on a translation by Doug Johnson.

It’s a battle of the sexes as a wife devises an elaborate scheme to test her husband’s loyalty.

Performances are planned for 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays with Saturday matinees at 2 p.m. Reservations may be obtained by calling the UCI box office at (949) 824-6614.

UCI also has Chekhov’s “The Sea Gull” on stage this weekend only. Details about this show also are available by calling the UCI box office.

At OCC, the college’s Repertory Theater Company is presenting its annual collection of playlets, some published and others original, in the Drama Lab Studio Theater.

All plays are student-directed.

The “Ten or Less” festival will run at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and at 2:30 and 7 p.m. Sundays through Nov. 20. Reservations and further information are available at (714) 432-5880, ext. 1.

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