By June April

NEW HAVEN — A Cup Of Coffee is an interesting departure from what one normally sees at Yale’s Repertory Theatre. Had there been the addition of some strobe effects, then the sense would have been akin to watching an old movie with all the repartee that goes on between a Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant combo.

Billed as a romantic comedy, A Cup Of Coffee has a dated air to it, but the wit that marked the fascinating career and life of the playwright Preston Sturges is what continues to make this an entertaining bit of theatre.

If one recalls the nephew “Auntie Mame” took under her wing, one gets a sense of the early life of Preston Sturges. A play or film about his life is well worth the viewing.

For starters, Sturges created some song lyrics, wrote and directed some screenplays, managed his mother’s cosmetic firm, invented kiss-proof lipstick (among other creations), and authored a number of works for the stage.  He was funny, witty, and in the 1940s heralded in Hollywood as one of the foremost satirists.

Many viewed him as being in the same league as the great director Frank Capra.  When he talked Paramount Pictures into letting him direct his screenplay.  The Great McGinty, the result was a runaway success which won Sturges the 1940 Academy Award for Best Screenplay and made Paramount lots of money.

In New Haven, director Joe Grifasi has made the most of the first-rate actors he had to work with and captured that sassy quality that earmarks the Sturges style.  Particularly outstanding is Michael Gross as the stuffy and narrow-minded J. Bloodgood Baxter, one of the two sons of the founder of the Baxter Coffee Company.  His characterization of the awkwardly manipulative role was worth the evening just for that entertainment.

As the nicer, quieter brother Oliver Baxter, John Rothman carries his part with dignity and total credibility. As the wheelchair-bound father and company founder, George Hall gives a most impressive and delightful performance.

The two leads — Kellie Overbey as the heroine and Brian Mysliwy as the idealistic but unrealistic hero James MacDonald — turned in fine performances, both with impeccable timing.

Speaking of timing, though not a big part, Vanessa David is one of the bright spots in the show as she skates in with the long-awaited contract.  Her wise-cracking manner immediately makes one sit up and take note.  Having never roller-skated before, Ms David allowed that the possibility of crashing into the glass water cooler that is part of the set of the Baxter Coffee Warehouse continues to haunt her.

Playing multiple roles, Clement Fowler also adds a zing to the production.  As the less-than-perfect, but kind-hearted Baxter accountant Lomax Whortleberry, James Greene offers a refreshing Scottish old-fashioned “scotty” to this production.  His manner adds a very humane touch to this play.  And as the rascally but caring caretaker/janitor Julius Snaith, the actor Michael Potts brings in a first-rate performance.

Talent stands out in A Cup Of Coffee. Three former Yale Drama School classmates — Michael Gross, John Rothman and Joe Grifasi (who acts as well as directs) — have infused the play with a sense of play, as well as a message that rings true today about office politics.

Playing through December 18, A Cup of Coffee is good fun for the holiday, rather in the spirit of Capra’s classic It’s A Wonder Life.

(For further information and to order tickets call 203/432-1234.)