‘Tyler Hudson’: Comedic <i> Angst</i>

Only 20 years old, Jake Kasdan has already written four produced plays. His precocity is evident in the latest, “The Behavioral Patterns of Funnyman Tyler Hudson,” a fairly sophisticated but uneven romantic comedy, which he also directed, at the Hollywood Playhouse.

Kasdan, son of film director Lawrence Kasdan, has brought Generation X hipness to a mundane coming-of-age story concerning young Tyler Hudson (Jason Gedrick). Hudson works a day job at the auto club, outlining suggested routes for motorists, but his real passion is stand-up comedy, which he pursues as an amateur in Los Angeles clubs.

Grist for the comedy routine comes, of course, from Hudson’s romantic life, which is as tangled as his sheepdog-like bangs. He still carries a torch for Emily (Heather Graham), the ex-girlfriend who dumped him for a rodeo cowboy, and has also grown fond of Jan (Alexandra Powers), a wispy waitress who complains people don’t take her seriously because she believes in fairies.

Kasdan has a clear knack for sharp, off-kilter characterizations. Best is Hudson’s father (David Doty), a pompous science professor who analyzes every real-life problem by making analogies to genetic theory. A lecture in which he expounds on the evolution of the winged flying monkey is funny mainly because of the professor’s breezy confidence in the ability of Darwinism to explain all.

Yet the vignettes drag on as Kasdan relies on soap-opera dramatics and snappy one-liners, those TV staples that seem so precious onstage. Hudson’s comedy monologues, delivered in the ironic and urbane style of Paul Reiser and Jerry Seinfeld, are steeped in too much young-adult Angst and not nearly enough wit or insight. By the end, it’s difficult to say exactly what protagonist or viewer has come away with.

The performances and technical credits are as good as money can buy. But as a play “Funnyman” proves a slacker, for better and--more often--worse.

* “The Behavioral Patterns of Funnyman Tyler Hudson,” Hollywood Playhouse, 1445 N. Las Palmas Ave., Hollywood. Thursdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m. Ends Jan. 7. $20. (310) 275-1995. Running time: 2 hours, 35 minutes.