‘Johnny’: Warping Family Dysfunction

Mom (Suzanne Krull) is a lush; Dad (Phill Lewis) is a “gimp”; and sister (Julie Warner) has a weight complex. Teenage pseudo-intellectual Johnny (David Zabel) idolizes his Uncle Ted (John Lacy) without realizing he’s a pedophile. In Michael Panes’ new comedy “Johnny Wants to Be a Playwright. Kill Him,” at Theatre/Theater, an overly precocious Johnny writes a thinly disguised play about his aberrant family life for a high school performance.

Panes’ play is an interestingly warped depiction of dysfunctional family life, but it needs some polish. The scenes don’t have a natural flow, and the characters aren’t fleshed out. Johnny’s father suddenly becomes a lecher halfway through the play for no apparent reason except to get some uncomfortable laughs. Uncle Ted is a pedophile only because the playwright tells us so--he demonstrates no obvious sexual inclinations.

Director Brian Levy maintains the off-center equilibrium in this Hidden Theatre Company production, but the effect is somewhat alienating. Johnny is an obnoxious nerd, spouting philosophical mumbo-jumbo, but not really winning our sympathy.

*

* “Johnny Wants to Be a Playwright. Kill Him,” Theatre/Theater, 1713 Cahuenga Blvd., Hollywood. Thursdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m. Ends Nov. 22. (818) 789-8499. Running time: 1 hour, 40 minutes.