There aren’t that many times when I feel comfortable breaking out the old “only in LA” canard. This is one of those times.

Luckily, it is a happy application of the cliché.

It’s A Disaster (Live) is a site-responsive adaptation of the 2012 indie film It’s A Disaster, a comedy that made a name for itself on the festival circuit thanks to an alt-comedy cast and a wickedly good poster. The film follows a group of friends — couples all — who are gathered together for their regular weekend brunch when word of dirty bomb strikes in major American cities trickles in. At first, they refuse to believe it, but as the action goes on the evidence mounts and the secrets between the various couples turn the friendly meetup into its own form of a disaster.

For this stage adaptation director Monica Stufft and her co-adaptor, Kelly Rafferty, have switched out a brunch for an open mic night down at the local pub owned by one of the couples. Playing the role of the pub in this production is Golden Road Brewery’s Chloe’s, which has previously served as the site of two of the Speakeasy Society’s productions. Unlike those pieces the action for It’s A Disaster (Live) is limited to the main room.

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The pub setting and the Open Mic format allow for some fun affordances: wait staff come through during breaks in the action to grab complimentary drink orders, there are free eats before the show, and different guest acts for the Open Mic portion of the program. On opening night, the writer-director of the film, Todd Berger, reprised the cameo role he had in the film as Hal, the next door neighbor who breaks the news of impending doom. That’s our “only in LA” moment, and even without knowing the stunt that was going the scene made for some excellent dry comedy.

It’s A Disaster (Live) is an interesting beast. As a site-responsive piece, it is a solid piece of work: the actors bring a cinematic grounding to the work even when playing the more broadly comedic characters. That helps to sell the idea that we really are at the Open Mic night with these folks. Every once in a while the audience is directly addressed, or lightly roped into the action. It is here that the production falters — not because of the execution but because of what that does to our suspension of disbelief.

One moment an audience member might be recruited to help a performer with a task, and in the next two characters are apt to have a conversation in the middle of all the tables that they would in no way be having in front of strangers. Instead of choosing to set the action fully in space with the audience there as acknowledged presences or to regulate us to shadows on the wall Stufft and Rafferty try to split the difference and it doesn’t quite work. The cinematic story conflicting with the needs of an interactive staging.

That’s the one flaw in what is otherwise a pretty damn fun night at the theatre. Open Mic leads to sing-alongs and dancing. The cast is talented and game across the board and the core direction lets the work breathe while keeping the pace brisk: which is no easy feat, mind you.

I’d be curious to see what Stufft and company could do with a piece that was built from the ground up as an open-frame work. As it stands: there is fun — and did I mention the open beer and wine bar — to be had at Chloe’s this month.

It’s A Disaster (Live) plays Tuesday-Friday through June 24th.