Three Men and a Show : Mercurial quality of Jeff Trachta shines in musical revival of ‘3 Guys’

Charting the rise and fall of an ‘80s comedy trio, “3 Guys Naked From the Waist Down” is better as a performers’ showcase than as a coherent musical.

In Ron Palillo’s revival at the Tamarind Theatre, Jeff Trachta gets the showiest role--a possibly certifiable and somewhat suicidal comic. As he demonstrated in the one-man “Agency” in 1994, Trachta has a precisely calibrated mercurial quality, moving rapidly between voices, personalities and moods, easily commanding our attention at every turn in the road.

Kevin Spirtas, as an angry comic, exudes eagle-eyed energy and, well, guyness. Joshua Campbell plays the emcee and mediator who brings the others together; though believably affable, he doesn’t sufficiently dominate the stage in his big number at the end.

Most of Jerry Colker’s script simply defies credibility. Because Trachta’s “guy” is practically from another planet, it’s unlikely that he would ever join such a group or stay with it for more than one rehearsal. The ostensible spur for the group effort is a report that Johnny Carson’s show is looking for a zany trio--but the material they end up doing on Carson is lame, and it isn’t remotely TV-friendly.

Yet it lands them a sitcom that--despite a weak premise and the raging volatility of two of the guys--supposedly becomes an international hit. Their meteoric ascension appears to exist only to set them up for a dramatic fall--and fall they do, in remarkably hackneyed ways. Colker’s lyrics, set to Michael Rupert’s music, muddle the narrative almost as much as they magnify the emotions.

BE THERE

“3 Guys Naked From the Waist Down,” Tamarind Theatre, 5919 Franklin Ave., Hollywood. Dark today. Regular schedule: Thursdays-Sundays, 8 p.m. Ends Dec. 21. $20. Running time: 2 hours, 15 minutes. (213) 660-8587.