Herb is a most unpleasant guy.
He is the father in Neil Simon’s “I Ought to Be in Pictures,” now getting a fine production at Invisible Theatre.
He abandoned his family 16 years before, fleeing to Los Angeles to avoid the marriage and pursue screenwriting. His 19-year-old daughter, Libby, doesn’t know him; she doesn’t even know what he looks like.
But she packs her bags, leaves Brooklyn, and lands on the doorstep of his apartment. Her reason, she says, is because she wants to be an actress and he owes her, so he should help her land jobs.
Herb is narcissistic, a commitmentphobe, a slob, and hasn’t produced anything worthwhile in some time. Writer’s block, don’tchaknow.
Libby, on the other hand, is quick witted, smart, and has no problems going after what she wants.
Into this mix is Steffy, Herb’s girlfriend of several years. She’s got the patience of Job with this guy, and some solid insight gained as a makeup artist to insecure actors.
Lucille Petty is perfect as Libby. Her timing is pristine — important when you are delivering Simon lines. While Libby seems confident and tough, Petty has made her vulnerability clear and at times heartbreaking.
David Alexander Johnston took on the role of Herb. He gave the character some tender moments, and he nicely transitioned from a cad to a fairly decent man. Susan Kovitz gives style to Herb’s long-suffering girlfriend Steffy, a woman with empathy and insight.
Directors Susan Claassen and Fred Rodriguez kept the characters honest and the play moving at the appropriate snappy Simon pace.
But somewhere between “The Sunshine Boys” (1972) and “Brighton Beach Memoirs” (1983) playwright Neil Simon faltered.
It is in those years the he penned “I Ought to Be in Pictures” (1980).
Sure, there are funny one-liners in the play — Simon is better at those than most — but the story is sentimental, forced, and just not compelling.
Even a fine production can’t change that.
