‘End of the Line’ Never Solidifies Into Full Story

Many plays drag on, stretching a slender wisp of an idea into an unendurable two hours or more. David H. Vowell’s new drama “At the End of the Line,” at the Two Roads Theatre, is just the opposite--seeming more a sketchy studio pitch for a predictable movie-of-the-week than a fully written play.

When Vietnam vet Tony (Robert DellaCerra) stops to refuel his car in a small Northern California town, he unexpectedly meets Pamela (Christine Sloane), whom he deflowered under an assumed name before he went away to war. Pamela reveals that she had a child from that one-nighter, a boy who was given up for adoption.

Tony, now unable to reproduce due to a war injury, is determined to find his son so Tony won’t be the last of the Ferraro line. To that end, he romances Pamela, who is also being pursued by her former pimp (Tom Druilhet).

Vowell’s earlier “Acts of Passion” consisted of three thoughtful, focused one-acts brought together as a contemplation of family relations.

But this piece is 100 minutes of 20-odd scenes that breeze by only to mark the time. From cute-meet to emotional collapse, nothing reaches out to engage minds or hearts. Even the most earnest performances are undermined by the simplistic dialogue. Director Norman Cohen at times teeters toward the edge of melodrama, but generally moves things fast enough to make sitting through this exercise less painful.

* “At the End of the Line,” Two Roads Theatre, 4348 Tujunga Ave., Studio City. Fridays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 3 and 7 p.m. Ends Aug. 26. $15. (818) 762-7488. Running time: 1 hour, 40 minutes.