THEATER REVIEWS : ‘The Royal Family’ in Comic Debt : Though a minor piece of stage fluff, this spoof of the Barrymores doesn’t allow much margin for error.

SANTA ANA — Anybody expecting to meet Lady Di and Prince Charles in “The Royal Family,” at Rancho Santiago College’s Phillips Hall Theatre through Sunday, should be advised: The royalty in this grandiose comedy of theatrical manners are the Cavendishes, a family of New York actors originally conceived as a sendup of the Barrymores.

Written by George S. Kaufman and Edna Ferber, the play premiered on Broadway in 1927, despite the threat of a legal suit by Ethel Barrymore, who took offense at being spoofed. It ran for 345 performances, which means it was a hit. But it is a decidedly minor piece of stage fluff that lives on in the shadow of better Kaufman collaborations with Moss Hart.

For “The Royal Family” to succeed at all, especially to avoid being an arthritic museum piece, it has to be played at high speed by a polished cast. A frenetic pace is needed to keep us from considering the plausibility of what we’re watching. Stylish actors are needed to keep the whole exercise afloat. The margin for error is nil.

This college production, lavishly designed and costumed, has lots of heart. It is led by Sheryl Donchey, head of Rancho Santiago’s theater department, who stars as Julie Cavendish, Broadway’s leading lady and the toast of New York. But for all that, there are fewer and fewer laughs as the show wears on--which is not to say there are many in the first place.

Comic timing is off. Punch lines disappear like a whisper. Even the better performances--Michael Ambrosio’s madcap cartoon as Anthony Cavendish, for example, or Kristin H. Schnee’s effervescent turn as Gwen Cavendish--lose their fizz and go flat. Somewhere toward the end of the third act, as the three-hour mark threatens to approach, you can’t help wondering, “What possessed them?”

* “The Royal Family,” Phillips Hall Theatre, Rancho Santiago College, 1530 W. 17th St., Santa Ana. Thursday-Saturday, 8 p.m., Sunday, 2:30 p.m. $6-$8. (714) 564-5661. Running time: 2 hours, 45 minutes.

Davida Bourland: Della

Toma Johnson: Jo

Carlos Santos: Hallboy

Daniel Santos: McDermott

Richard G. Rodgers: Herbert Dean

Lisa Beil: Kitty Dean

Kristin H. Schnee: Gwen

Michael A. Dennick: Perry Stewart

Suzanne Chapman: Fanny Cavendish

James Rice: Oscar Wolfe

Sheryl Donchey: Julie Cavendish

Michael Ambrosio: Anthony Cavendish

George Spelvin: Chauffeur

Stan Yocum: Gilbert Marshall

Edgar Abel Leal: Another Hallboy

Carlos Santos: Gunga

Abby Christy: Miss Peake

A Rancho Santiago College presentation. Written by George S. Kaufman and Edna Ferber. Directed by Phillip W. Beck. Scenic design: Chuck Ketter. Costume design: Laura Deremer Bonsall. Lighting design: D. Silvio Volonte. Sound design: Justus Matthews. Makeup design: Barbara Matthews.