‘Cut Flowers’ Wilts at Victory Theatre

Before being gathered, Sage Allen’s “Cut Flowers” received too much sunlight or not enough water. In either case, it’s a wilting bouquet of weeds and mismatched colors. Whatever message the florist hoped to deliver got lost on the way to the Victory Theatre.

At first, “Cut Flowers” seems to be a light comedy about old friends (a baffled Joanna Miles and Salome Jens) reuniting for dinner after a troubled period. Then it shifts radically into menacing drama as drug-addicted children (a riveting Zilah and Chris Jordan) invade the suburban kitchen. So we accept the play as a women’s “Desperate Hours,” only to suddenly be transported into Eugene O’Neill-styled soul-searching confessions. The final, shocking impact is due more to chaotic dramaturgy than to Jules Aaron’s erratic direction.

Perhaps “Cut Flowers” should be returned to the garden and replanted.

* “Cut Flowers,” Victory Theatre, 3326 W. Victory Blvd., Burbank. Thursdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 7 p.m. Indefinitely. $15-$17. (818) 841-5421. Running time: 2 hours.