"The Little Dog Laughed" -- the title comes from the nursery rhyme that involves fiddling cats, lunar-leaping bovines and dish-spoon liaisons -- serves up a spicy stew of confused desire marinated in an acid purée of the film industry.

Jerry Chipman

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As directed by Jerry Chipman at Circuit Playhouse, the raucous satire delivers fewer laughs than it strives for, although when it does score, it's with a big ka-ching.

Overwhelming the effort from start to finish is Irene Crist's Diane, a bulldozer of a Hollywood agent who not only plays the game, but is the game. Diane represents hot star Mitchell (a winning John Moore), and she'll lie, wheedle and cajole to advance his career.

She just needs him to be straight in order to play a gay part in a sure-fire winning movie, but he's wavering. He's been straight, or straightish, but when he meets Alex (DJ Hill), he throws in with his gay side and wants to proclaim it to the world.

As this would ruin the film, Diane tries to redirect Mitchell's inclinations. Meanwhile, Alex has been making a living as a part-time male prostitute who is not gay but who is drawn to Mitchell, all of which plays havoc with his girlfriend, Ellen (Megan Stein).

It's a setup for sheer wackiness, although it only occasionally achieves the rapid-fire action such a roller-coaster ride would seem to promise. The comedic timing was off at the beginning, but when it gained steam, it was a riot. The scene in which Diane and Mitchell are wooing an unseen playwright at lunch is hilarious, in no small part because of the interplay between contrasting personalities of agent and actor.

Crist's brassy manipulator had the best lines, and she delivered them with a wicked grin and large-auditorium gusto. Stein as the girlfriend was no shrinking flora, and had her share of well-delivered zingers.

Moore and Hill as the tentative lovers were solid and appealing, although having to parlay the sentimental angle in a no-holds-barred satire is like -- as Diane said -- having only a Cobb salad with everything on the side.

"The Little Dog Laughed"

Through July 12 at Circuit Playhouse, 1705 Poplar. Tickets: $20-$25. Adults only. Call 726-4656 or go to playhouseonthesquare.org.