‘Hook, Line’ Another Groundling Winner

“Hook, Line and Sunday” has the Groundlings’ farm team angling for the spotlight in another installment of the troupe’s successful comic formula.

The Sunday series, showcasing up-and-coming trainees, traditionally has an edgier feel than the more carefully crafted Groundling mainstage shows--with less of a safety net, the energy is closer to the spontaneous combustion of improv.

The present show is no exception, with its high-concept vignettes driven more by characterizations than punch lines. Standouts include Amy Smallman as a love-starved woman compulsively cramming food in her mouth the moment her boyfriend dumps her, Steve Ireland as the Addams Family-esque proprietor of a vacuum repair shop, Mary Joe Smith as a surreal job applicant, and the malleable Chase Winton in numerous quirky roles.

Inevitably, a few skits wear out their welcome, but Tony Sepulveda’s brisk direction keeps the audience from cutting bait.

* “Hook, Line and Sunday,” Groundling Theatre, 7307 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles. Sundays, 7:30 p.m. Runs indefinitely. $17.50. (213) 934-9700. Running time: 2 hours, 15 minutes.