A serious illness doesn't seem to be a likely source for comedy, but David Lindsay-Abaire generates plenty of nervous laughs in "Kimberly Akimbo." Although the Vagabond Players production could do more to bring out this play's spectrum of emotions, it does give a sense of the near-surreal family scenario playing out in a suburban New Jersey town.

Kimberly (Dianne Hood) is a 16-year-old girl afflicted with a rare disease that makes her age at four times the normal rate. She's basically sweet 16, never been kissed, and starting to look like a little old lady about to die.

Hood generally does a pretty good job of looking older than she is, but needs to do more to suggest how the premature aging has affected Kimberly's appearance and outlook.

Such a medical condition would place stress on even the most stable of families, and Kimberly's family is anything but stable. Kimberly's mother, Pattie (Katharina Boser), is a foul-mouthed, short-tempered woman who is pregnant with a child she hopes will be "normal." It's a valid thing to hope for, but you can imagine how Pattie's blunt statements about her pregnancy strike Kimberly's ears.

Kimberly's father, Buddy (Larry Malkus), is an alcoholic who isn't exactly an ideal parental role model. Another family member causing more problems than she solves is Pattie's sister, Debra (Holly Pasciullo), whose volatile personality and criminal record ensure there will be no peace in the household when she's around.

Indeed, the obscenity-laced conversations in this house are so relentless that the family's half-hearted attempt to clean up its language by placing a swear jar on the kitchen table only results in a jar filled with coins.

Besides looking old for her teen years, Kimberly is wise beyond her years in knowing how to cope with this noisy family situation. She's smart in opting to spend quiet conversational time with a nice classmate, Jeff (Alex Hayes), who treats her like a friend rather than a freak.

The actors competently bring their characters alive, but aren't totally cohesive as an ensemble. Boser has enough shaky line readings to detract from Pattie's brassy personality, and so the give-and-take nature of Patty's arguments with Buddy is halting on occasion.

Pasciullo is hilariously persuasive as the trashy Debra, but this gifted actor's animated performance tends to make the other actors seem dull by comparison.

Also, most of the actors assume a self-consciously heavy New Joisey accent that never feels entirely natural. Maybe that's why Hayes' accent-free performance as Jeff is appreciated; he comes across as a real kid rather than a stage character.

Likewise uneven is the pacing in a play that's admittedly broken up into many short scenes. On the one hand, director Steve Goldklang needs to generate a greater sense of momentum in a production hindered by a stop-and-go pace; on the other hand, the clever set design by Roy Steinman facilitates the scenic flow, because there are movable walls that easily open and close to reveal family kitchen and public school library locations.

The casting and the set design alike are basically solid, so there's reason to hope that this dysfunctional stage family can learn to function more smoothly as the production ages from one performance to the next.

"Kimberly Akimbo" runs through May 18 at Vagabond Players, at 806 S. Broadway, in Baltimore. Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., Sundays at 2 p.m. Tickets are $15, $13 for seniors and students. Call 410-563-9135.

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