HUMOR AND UNEASE MINGLE IN 'BOY'.

Byline: Rob Lowman Entertainment Editor

IN THE SEVENTH scene of Act One in Rebecca Gilman's thought-provoking play ``Boy Gets Girl,'' the tone grows quite ominous. Up until then this smart, well-designed production, which opened at the Geffen Playhouse on Wednesday, had drawn a number of laughs, even as it hinted at the darkness that lay ahead.

In the scene, Theresa, a New York magazine writer in her late 30s played by Nancy Travis, listens as she sits on her bed late at night to a series of calls that she has let her answering machine pick up. They are from Tony (Mark Deakins), a man whom she had dated briefly before ending it with an ``it's not your fault'' excuse.

Tony, who at first seemed simply innocent but inept, had continued trying to press his affections upon her, sending flowers, offering friendship and telling her in his messages he isn't like other men. Though Theresa has ordered Tony to stay away, no one around her sees danger. Her ditzy 21-year-old secretary Harriet (Julie Ann Emery) just thinks the cute guy is romantic, while her kindly boss, Howard (Charles Janasz), no great shakes at understanding women himself, believes Tony is simply misguided.

Even Theresa doesn't quite understand where Tony is going; so it is understandable that some in the audience at ``Boy Gets Girl'' continue to laugh - albeit uneasily - as Tony leaves his pathetically delusional messages. But what may have seemed somewhat amusing before now sounds menacing, especially when he hints he may be watching her. A suddenly fearful Theresa goes to the window to peek out before grabbing a hammer and cowering back in her bed.

It is this sexual netherworld that ``Boy Gets Girl,'' which functions also as a thriller, explores. There are a couple of ironies in the title, one of which goes to the play's ending, so we won't go there. The other is the obvious one - Tony doesn't get Theresa. But then most men - even intelligent and sympathetic ones like Howard and Mercer (Taylor Nichols), another writer at Theresa's office - are conflicted in their relationships to women.

When Mercer discusses Theresa's plight, he points out how Tony is only repeating what is seen in romantic movies - men ardently pursuing women at any cost, which in some ways turns them into stalkers. The difference being, in the movies there's usually a happy ending. Later, Mercer confesses to Howard that as enlightened as he tries to be, there was a moment that he, too, lusted after Theresa. It was a dark admission - one he wouldn't make to a woman. On a parallel note, Theresa and Madeleine Beck, the female police officer assigned to her case (Monnae Michaell), open up to each other about the sexual obstacles they have faced as women.

Interestingly, it's in Theresa's assignment to interview an aging sexploitation king, Les Kennkat (a slyly funny turn by James Farentino), that she gets to be more candid about her feelings with a man. Though she condemns Les' obsession with large breasts and how he has turned women into sex objects, Theresa gets to vent as Les lays out - honestly though crudely - men's more infantile obsessions.

``Boy Gets Girl'' isn't a perfect play, occasionally too manipulative. But Gilman has fashioned an entertaining, provocative and timely night of theater. (Bringing insight to the gulf between the sexes is always timely.) Director Randall Arney gets a lot out of his excellent cast without having them do too much, perhaps best epitomized by Travis, who never tries to dazzle but who gives Theresa the strength and solidness needed to match the play's power.

BOY GETS GIRL - Four stars

Where: Geffen Playhouse, 10886 Le Conte Ave., Westwood.

When: 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays, 4 and 8:30 p.m. Saturdays, 2 and 7 p.m. Sundays; through May 11.

Tickets: $28 to $46. Call [phone].

In a nutshell: A richly provocative examination of sexual perceptions in a story about a man stalking a woman he briefly dated.

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James Farentino provides Nancy Travis with his perspective on what men desire in ``Boy Gets Girl'' at the Geffen Playhouse.