Robert Beltran is winning rave reviews for his performance in a play that he believes can serve as a wake-up call for America. Beltran ("Chakotay") is starring in Clifford Odets' 1949 play "The Big Knife," which runs for three more weekends at the Lillian Theatre in Hollywood — which is a bit ironic, since the play is a passionate social commentary about Hollywood corruption and excess.

Beltran plays Charlie Castle, a movie star in Hollywood's studio-system glamour days whose personal life is an utter wreck. The studio chiefs in the story are trying to get Charlie to sign a 14-year contract, but his on-again-off-again wife Marion is adamantly opposed to it, insisting his success is his downfall. Those intent on exploiting Charlie's stardom, however, keep him over a barrel with a tragic secret from his past.

Though the play is over 50 years old, Beltran sees it as relevant as ever, and not just as a portrait of Hollywood. "I think it's very timely and I think that Americans need to see it," the former Star Trek: Voyager actor said during his birthday celebration last week after the Wednesday-night performance. "I want to do my part to wake this country up from its stupor. And this play certainly addresses many of the issues that we are facing today."

Asked to elaborate, he continued, "Everybody's feeding off the golden goose that is Charlie Castle, and nobody sees that he's actually dying right before their eyes. They're all trying to grab at him, get something from him, and he's dying. And I think that's what is happening in this country today. The country that our forefathers set in motion with great ideals has been slowly eaten away by people that don't even know what those ideals are anymore, by greedy, self-interested, small-thinking people who are ruining our country."

Those who have reviewed the play agree that it hits hard, and they are especially complimentary of Beltran. Variety's Julio Martinez makes note of Beltran's "winning, masculine charm" and adds, "To his credit, Beltran doesn't back away from Odets' dialogue, giving an impressive veracity to Castle's interplay with the other characters and making plausible the film star's eventual cathartic decision about himself." Backstage.com's T.H. McCulloh also speaks well of the show, citing "the rich, detailed performance of Robert Beltran as Charlie, a vivid portrait of a man not bright but trying very hard to make his life, and his marriage, work. Beltran's subtext is telling and colorful."

The play is directed by Tonyo Melendez, hand-picked by Beltran who personally produced the show. He also surrounded himself with an outstanding ensemble cast, all of whom have also earned lauds in the reviews. That cast includes Rhonda Aldrich, who played the holographic secretary to Dixon Hill, "Madeline," in a few episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation.

After a Thanksgiving break, performances of "The Big Knife" continue this Saturday and Sunday, then start up again on December 3, Wednesday through Sunday for two more weeks, closing on Dec. 14. Tickets are $25; call (323) 655-8587 for reservations. Visit RobertBeltran.com for more information.

"It's been five or six years since I've been on stage, and I was noticing that it was killing me not to be on stage," Beltran said about his decision to produce and star in the play. "It's a helluva role. It takes a lot of concentration and I'm enjoying every minute."