‘Shiva Arms’ Houses a Cast of Characters

Just before the original opening date of his solo “Shiva Arms,” Doug Motel’s friends told him to “break a leg,” in the time-honored tradition of theater. Motel came close, breaking a foot, but this only slightly hampers his oddball tale about 11 misfits living in a rundown Hollywood apartment.

On the spare, gray stage at the Coast Playhouse, Motel’s story begins as a slice of life, turns into a mystery, transforms into a tragedy and then vacillates with devastating accuracy between slapstick and drama.

As the new manager of Shiva Arms, Motel encounters the tenants, slowly learning about the fate of the previous manager and her effect upon them.

This tale has too many cute twists to be believable, but offers a variety of Hollywood types--a well-to-do East Indian man, a blond B-movie bombshell, an old woman who once worked in the movie industry, an elegant Beverly Hills matron and her angrily anti-establishment but financially dependent son.

Under the direction of Michael Michetti, the characters are, for the most part, clearly defined, particularly in the beginning when each shift is signaled by Peter Stenshoel’s sound design.

Motel’s script doesn’t have much of an arc, leaving the audience unsure when the piece has actually ended. The journey is pleasant, but judicious editing would make it better. Undoubtedly, a recovered Motel will also make it more dynamic.

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* “Shiva Arms,” Coast Playhouse, 8325 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood. Thursdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 7 p.m. Ends Oct. 4. $24-$27. (213) 660-8587. Running time: 1 hour, 25 minutes.