An elaborate, goofy spoof of crime-busters

Whatever layers of subtle nuance might lurk within the post-vaudevillian subtext of the popular “Bullshot Crummond,” they remain as elusive as ever in a goofy, unusually elaborate revival from Actors Co-op.

This slender spoof of 1940s schlock crime-buster serials was the brainchild of Britain’s aptly named Low Moan Spectacular troupe (Ron House, Diz White, John Neville-Andrews, Alan Shearman and Derek Cunningham). Their stiff-upper-lipped shenanigans weather a transatlantic transplant quite well in director Henry Polic II’s witty, ingenious design concept, which stages the whole piece as a cinematic melodrama.

Embellished with period pre-feature newsreels, animated snack bar ads and massive photo backdrops, the piece is performed behind a scrim that mutes color and filters the action through a slightly out-of-focus haze. The impressive design efforts of Kathi O’Donohue (lighting), Shon LeBlanc (costumes), Geoff Green (sound) and Yakovetic (sets) provide welcome diversion from content that isn’t going to challenge deep thinkers (or even shallow ones, for that matter).

Although the show’s creators still have a lock on definitive performances, Tim Woodward’s turn rescues the problematic one-note title character with expert slapstick precision married to matinee-idol good looks (complete with eye shadow and jaunty mustache). As his leading lady, Amy Landers contributes a requisite obnoxious laugh all her own -- part vibrato, part air raid siren.

Crummond’s Nazi nemesis, the fiendish Otto Von Bruno, forsakes the traditional shaved head in favor of a Hitler mustache; his performance usually hits the right notes, but a half-hearted costume change in a confrontation between two of his characters undercuts one of the show’s best visual gags. Nan McNamara exudes campy, vampy appeal as his sidekick in evil, Lenya. However, Stephen Van Dorn’s appearances in multiple supporting characters lack the range and versatility that can take the piece to a more incisive level. The production looks great and delivers its share of lowbrow antics, but its safe farcical approach to what is at bottom an overextended skit lacks the overall surreal weirdness to keep tedious repetition at bay.

-- Philip Brandes

“Bullshot Crummond,” Actors Co-op, 1760 N. Gower St., Hollywood. Thursdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 2:30 p.m. Ends Dec. 15. $20. (323) 462-8460. Running time: 2 hours, 5 minutes