'TRUMBO' AND MANTEGNA HAVE A WAY WITH WORDS.

Byline: - Evan Henerson

How much of a kick must it have been to receive a letter from Dalton Trumbo? Not just a letter, mind you, but a juicy, syllable-rich manifesto the likes of which Trumbo, the blacklisted writer of ``Spartacus'' and ``The Brave One,'' seemed to fire off with unlimited energy and gusto.

Imagine being the principal at Annandale Elementary School who Trumbo holds responsible for turning his young daughter into ``a spiritually devastated human being.'' Or a college-age Christopher Trumbo, receiving quite possibly the most eloquent authorization to masturbate in the history of father-to-son correspondence. No fool he, Christopher Trumbo immediately shared ``the letter'' with his every acquaintance. With his play ``Trumbo: Red, White and Blacklisted,'' the now matured Christopher Trumbo is opening the vaults again.

More reading than play, since the actor playing Dalton Trumbo (Joe Mantegna) reads from a script, ``Trumbo'' is a bit of magic on a couple of different fronts. Not only does Trumbo suffuse the audience with the wit and wisdom of a man who might have out-quipped Cicero (or, at the least, Mark Twain), the work is a rich examination of patriotism and its consequences.

Trumbo, perhaps the most notorious of the Hollywood Ten, served time in prison for refusing to name names in front of the House Un-American Activities Committee. He later moved to Mexico and spent a decade writing scripts under different names. Married and a father of three, Trumbo went bankrupt. Among the ``Trumbo'' letters are apologies accompanying overdue debts. They're eloquent as well.

The Falcon Theatre production, directed by Peter Askin, includes video footage (designed by Dennis Diamond) from other Hollywood figures caught up in the HUAC hearings. Also included are photographs of the Trumbo family and of Trumbo himself. Mantegna doesn't especially resemble Trumbo, but the structure of this play makes it possible for actors across the spectrum (be they Charles Durning, Nathan Lane or Richard Dreyfuss) to enact the part.

Mantegna, who has specialized in suavity underscoring snakishness, cuts a dashing figure here. He wears a dapper, period-appropriate suit and reading spectacles, and sits at a desk, glancing down at the script only occasionally. The performance balances sincerity, self-righteousness, fear and a certain sense of ego. Here was a man who clearly was in love with his own capacity as a wordsmith.

Judging by the letters of ``Trumbo'' - on eloquent display at the Falcon - he had every reason to be.

TRUMBO: RED, WHITE, AND BLACKLISTED - Three and one half stars

Where: Falcon Theatre, 4252 Riverside Drive, Toluca Lake.

When: 8 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, 4 p.m. Sunday; through Nov. 13.

Tickets: $30 to $37.50. [phone].

In a nutshell: Dalton Trumbo speaks. With Joe Mantegna channeling the blacklisted screenwriter, we should listen.