‘Volpone’: Comedy of Grifters and Fools

Talk about staying power. Martin Magner, the director of “Volpone,” at the Harman Avenue Theatre, just turned 95 years old. A stage and television director whose career spans seven decades, Magner still directs productions for the Goethe Institut of Los Angeles, a German cultural organization.

Although Magner has received numerous awards in his lifetime, his latest effort falls short of award-worthiness. More competent than inspired, this “Volpone” has nonetheless received a solid, serviceable staging from a crafty old pro who still remembers--if not all, then most of--the moves.

Magner first presented Ben Jonson’s commedia masterpiece in the ‘20s in Nuremberg. In fact, it is the loose, lively 1926 adaptation of Magner’s personal friend, Stefan Zweig, that remains definitive. Carl R. Mueller’s thoroughly modern new translation captures Zweig’s freewheeling naughtiness.

Robert Ackerman displays a satisfying bluster as the venal Volpone, but his blustering too often becomes sputtering during his frequent line lapses. As Mosca, Volpone’s toady, Bradford Askew mingles craftiness with a dash of wholesome appeal. Scott Vance is commanding and convincing as the noble Leone, the only honest character in a comedy populated with grifters, connivers and fools.

* “Volpone,” Harman Avenue Theatre, 522 N. La Brea Ave., Los Angeles. Fridays-Saturdays, 8 p.m. Ends April 8. $15. (213) 466-1767. Running time: 2 hours, 30 minutes.