Festival ’90 : OPEN FESTIVAL : ‘Greenhouse’ Effect Is Wild and Crazy

Are the breakdowns of the nuclear family and the global ozone layer somehow tied together? Crazy idea, but not nearly as crazy as Jennie Webb’s “Greenhouse,” at Theatre/Theater.

The Green family is somewhere between the Simpsons and John Guare. Mom (an ideally cheery Jane Morris) is always serving food. Dad (a perfectly bloodless Linden Gilbert) is always on his way to or returning from the office. While one daughter (a steely Webb) is always preparing for war, the other daughter (a nicely interiorized Pip Newson) is always checking the fashion statement she’s making.

None of them realize what Son is up to until it’s too late (Eric Diamond, blending a surfer dude with a science nerd). His school experiment has mucked with the ozone, and the weather becomes downright biblical while the family unit gets seriously dismantled. When a typhoon sucks Mom out the door, Maria Spassoff’s neighbor is adopted as Mom II, while the observer tries to make sense of it all.

But it does make sense. Think of “Greenhouse” as a 3-D cartoon. The watchword for Brent Morris’ staging is frantic --watch your feet as the actors dash by, and watch out when the tidal wave hits.

At 1713 N. Cahuenga Blvd., Thursday and Friday, 10:30 p.m. $10; (213) 871-0210.