“Dr. Cerberus” will see you now (or vice versa)

L.A. Theatre Works, the renowned audio dramatic troupe presenting both revivals and newly commissioned works for public radio broadcast and other listening formats, concludes its 2009-10 “The Play’s the Thing” season this coming week with “Dr. Cerberus.” It’s a radio adaptation of an original production by TV writer and playwright Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, billed as “a coming-of-age, coming-out cocktail with a twist of terror.”

What struggling 13-year-old boy hasn’t been tortured by an annoying little brother, obtuse parents, and a hopeless social life? Many boomer kids, as the original TV generation, found escape or relief from adolescent angst in cheesy horror-movie programs that might have featured the local weatherman or the station manager’s girlfriend in full monster get-up, tossing off howling bad puns about their grade-Z horror and sci-fi movies.

“Dr. Cerberus” conjures up such a character (pictured here from its world stage premiere at the South Coast Repertory earlier this spring), and tells the story of a young boy who becomes convinced that only a guest-shot with the TV host can redeem and transform his unhappy existence.

“Doctor Cerberus” runs Wednesday, July 14 through Sunday, July 18. Weekday evening curtain is 8 pm; Saturday matinee is 2:30 pm and Sunday matinee is 4:00 pm. Purchase your tickets on-line, and be sure to allow time for the dinner buffet at Zeidler’s Cafe beforehand; menu here, but reserve first at (310) 440-4575. And parking is free.

The performance is being held in the Magnin Auditorium of the Skirball Cultural Center,
2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles.