‘THERE WAS A TIME’

Another trio of male-oriented one-acts, “There Was a Time” at Inner City Cultural Center, is “filled with bitter/sweet memories of an unforgotten past,” according to the program. This is a much more nebulous theme than that of “Parting Shots,” and the evening doesn’t work as well.

The opener, Clay Goss’ “Andrew,” is the weakest. This tale of friendships torn apart by gang warfare is a brief collection of fragments and flashbacks that never cohere. It’s as if we’re watching the coming-attractions trailer instead of the movie.

Goss also wrote the final play, “Being Hit,” a remembrance of a second-rate boxer who wound up as a janitor. This one could use clarifying, too, though it shines in contrast to “Andrew,” with convincing performances by Tony Allen and Rene Levant. Both of the Goss plays are further confused by the hyperactive lighting design of director Sati Jamal.

The other play is “Nice,” a monologue by Mustapha Matura, with Art Evans as a West Indian immigrant to London. It’s fitfully amusing, though repetitive and ultimately predictable.

Performances are at 1308 S. New Hampshire Ave., Fridays through Sundays at 8 p.m., (213) 387-1161.