How to Disappear Completely and Never be Found

Fin Kennedy's hyperkinetic black comedy, inspired by Doug Richmond's book of the same name, recounts one man's startling journey into the world of identity theft. It's part Kafkaesque nightmare and part metaphysical mystery. In the play's Southern California premiere, director Nancy Keystone's stylish cinematic staging offers much visceral excitement, and a chameleonlike ensemble pulls off a wide range of impressive characterizations. Though it's easy to appreciate the artistry on display here, it's difficult to fully warm up to the frenetic material. Kennedy's protracted Rubik's Cube narrative sometimes feels too diffusely plotted for its own good.

In its finest moments, the play provides choice satire, offering frightful reflections on a wacky world in which superficial values can overwhelm our individuality, and where feelings of alienation prevail. Antihero Charlie (Brad Culver) is an advertising executive in London who's in a daze due to his chemical addictions and accusations of embezzlement on the job. Our morally conflicted protagonist turns to a fast-talking new acquaintance, Mike (Time Winters), who tells Charlie how easy it is to feign death and tamper with bureaucratic records to take on a deceased person's identity. Charlie abandons his existence and inhabits the identity of an alter ego named Adam. Or does he? Amid a bizarre maze of characters and incidents, Charlie/Adam begins to wonder if he's still alive.

Culver gives a bravura performance, masterfully conveying his character's myriad emotions, most impressively in a long monologue recounting the escalating frustrations of a manic day in which everyone and everything seem determined to push him over the edge. Winters is chilling and darkly hilarious in several roles, including the mysterious identity-switch expert and an attendant in the spooky lost-and-found department of a commuter train. Nick Mills, Carolyn Ratteray, and Valerie Spencer show remarkable versatility in several small roles, providing a hauntingly dreamlike atmosphere for Charlie/Adam's odyssey to play out.

Boston Court, known for its superbly effective production designs, outdoes itself in the eerie high-tech ambiance captured here, notably Keystone's scenic design, Christopher Kuhl's lighting, Ann Closs-Farley's costumes, John Zalewski's sound and original music, and Adam Flemming's video projections. Dialect coach Tracy Winters elicits stellar results.

Presented by and at the Theatre @ Boston Court, 70 N. Mentor Ave., Pasadena. Apr. 30–May 29. Thu.–Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 2 p.m. (626) 683-6883. www.bostoncourt.org.