Changing Points of View in ‘Samurai’

Squaring off with the stylized mock bravado of sci-fi martial arts superheroes, performance artists Denise Uyehara and Dan Kwong open “Samurai Centerfielder Meets the Mad Kabuki Woman” at Highways on a whimsical note, but quickly get down to their real agenda.

Peeling away their armor--and exposing their vulnerabilities--this very dynamic duo undertakes a freewheeling collaborative exploration of race, gender, sexual orientation and identity issues, framed in a stylish interpretation of theme and visual presentation.

The material showcases the performers’ differences in perspective and technique. Kwong’s narratives are focused and linear--ruminating about his childhood training to hide his pain as he lops the tops off white flowers, exploring his conflicting feelings about the first gay person he ever encountered and wielding carpentry tools with the reverence of a masculine religious ritual. Uyehara, in contrast, unleashes feelings and free association in her more poetic, elliptical chronologies of confusing relationships.

Despite some effectively honest and even amusing exchanges and role reversals, seamless integration isn’t the strong suit of the piece. It frequently seems (and sometimes literally becomes) a game of catch between dueling monologues--though they never fail to sustain interest.

* “Samurai Centerfielder Meets the Mad Kabuki Woman,” Highways, 1651 18th St., Santa Monica. Tonight-Sunday, 8:30 p.m. $12. (310) 453-1755. Running time: 1 hour, 30 minutes.