Metrano’s ‘Accidental’ Hits Funny Bone, Breaks Heart

Disabled activists coined a term, “T.A.B.”--Temporarily Able-Bodied. It’s a chilling acronym, a reminder that crippling disability may be just a hard break away.

Art Metrano had his hard break--literally--falling off a ladder while working on the second-floor balcony of a house he had on the market. A dizzying moment later, he was lying on the lawn, paralyzed, his neck broken in six places, including the infamous “Hangman’s Break” that almost always proves fatal.

“Metrano’s Accidental Comedy” at the Odyssey--a revision of his earlier solo “Twice Blessed”--concerns Metrano’s devastating injury and heroic rehabilitation. If that sounds like pretty grim going, you’ve got a surprise in store.

Metrano was a comedian before embarking on a career as a character actor. However, as directed by Joe Bologna, Metrano displays the acute observational skills of a writer born and bred.

Starting in childhood, Metrano chronicles his eventful life with a precise, almost Proustian detail that lifts his one-man show above the throng of tell-all showcases.

On top of that, comedy veteran Bologna knows how to fine-tune comic pacing and finesse a laugh. It’s a winning combination that only occasionally overbalances into bathos.

Blitzing the stage in a motorized wheelchair, Metrano reminisces about his past, tossing in breezy jokes and bad puns like a Borscht Belt tummler intent on keeping his guests entertained.

At show’s end, he gets out of his wheelchair and walks, haltingly, with two crutches. It’s a moving moment, but more moving is Metrano’s humble gratitude for his miracle, the “blessing of adversity” that transformed his life.

BE THERE

“Metrano’s Accidental Comedy,” Odyssey Theatre, 2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd., West L.A. Thursdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 3 and 7 p.m. Ends April 9. $20-$24. (310) 477-2055. Running time: 1 hour, 35 minutes.