AN OFFBEAT FAMILY WEATHERS ITS OWN STORM.

Byline: Julio Martinez Correspondent

PROLIFIC playwright Jon Klein has returned to the Victory Theatre with a beautifully produced, quirky new stage comedy that would work better were it not so determined to tie up every minute loose end of a complicated plot.

``Wishing Well'' amply displays Klein's clever ability to extract humor from otherwise dark situations. There are just so many of them. Fortunately, the production is blessed with an outstanding five-member ensemble under the sure-handed guidance of director Maria Gobetti.

Set in the home of crotchety Mrs. Cauthen (Judy Jean Berns) on North Carolina's Bald Head Island, the action follows one cathartic summer weekend in the lives of Cauthen and her two grown daughters. There's middle-age and married Callie Quayle (Kathleen Bailey) and her much younger college-age sister, Cindy (Tracey Stone).

Mrs. Cauthen unleashes a hurricane of angst and recrimination when she reveals her long-guarded secret concerning the death of Callie's and Cindy's father 19 years earlier. From this single revelation, Klein cleverly builds layer upon layer of plot machinations that parallel the fast-developing actual hurricane that is about to descend upon the island. Acting as narrator to the unfolding events is Callie, played with understated charm by Bailey.

Callie, who has always been odd daughter out, quite often speaks directly to the audience, relating her mother's decided favoritism of Cindy and explaining the wondrous but dangerous spells invoked by the decrepit wishing well that sits in their front yard.

The playwright overuses this device, especially at play's end when Callie's long-winded summing up only detracts from the concluding action that has just preceded it. What does work to perfection are the interactions of Mrs. Cauthen, the two sisters and their hunk of a neighbor Richard Smalls, played with gentlemanly but still pulsating masculinity by Tai Bennett.

Berns is quite comical as the rigidly unapologetic old woman who refuses to admit blame for her older daughter's unhappiness. Stone captures the persona of the less-than-bright, always hot-to-trot Cindy. One highlight of the production is Cindy's unabashed astonishment when Richard turns down her obvious sexual advances, stating he prefers more mature, ``full-figured'' women. Believing he is talking about Callie, Cindy is reduced to a hilarious state of apoplectic indignation.

Rounding out the ensemble is Joe O'Connor as Callie's totally unassuming husband, TV weatherman Dennis. O'Connor admirably assumes the persona of this nebbish, but his presence only adds extraneous plot fodder to an already overloaded production. With some judicious trimming, ``Wishing Well'' could go on to enjoy the same success as an earlier Klein work, ``T Bone N Weasel,'' which also had its local premiere at the Victory.

WISHING WELL - Three stars

Where: Victory Theatre Center, 3326 W. Victory Blvd., Burbank.

When: 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sunday; through Nov. 16.

Tickets: $22 to $24. Call [phone].

In a nutshell: This world premiere comedy is decidedly overwritten but still projects a quirky humor that is captivating.