The Flying Karamazovs toss around a few ideas

For more than 30 years, the fleet-fingered Flying Karamazov Brothers have sent objects arcing through the air in patterns that require careful planning, impeccable timing and -- should the unexpected occur -- graceful improvisation. At its best, the work has been poetry in motion. Or, perhaps, philosophy in motion, for it’s juggling as metaphor for life.

In their newest show, the Karamazovs push this quality to the fore, with results that, as displayed in a run presented by San Diego Repertory Theatre, are disappointingly mixed.

Part old-fashioned vaudeville and part newfangled theater, “Life: A Guide for the Perplexed” traces the journey from birth through old age. Rules for living -- such as how to handle coincidence or how to build trust -- are framed by comic skits that give way to juggling routines.

As highfalutin as this might sound, it’s really just an excuse for the Karamazovs’ usual brand of clowning -- which would be fine if the sketches didn’t amble in so many unproductive directions or peter out before you’ve deciphered what they were meant to convey.

In its best moments, though, the show, like the troupe’s name, is a playful poke in the ribs.

Although their name sounds like a family trapeze act as described by Dostoevsky, the Karamazovs don’t fly and are not brothers. Founding members Paul Magid and Howard Jay Patterson perform here with Mark Ettinger and Roderick Kimball. In addition to juggling and acting, each sings and, occasionally, accompanies on an instrument.

A madcap jumble, “Life” draws upon Judeo-Christian belief as well as Eastern religions and a whole shelf’s worth of self-help books. The humor is a bit Marx Brothers and a bit Mel Brooks, riffing on Shakespeare, “The Lord of the Rings,” Bollywood extravaganzas and more. The music and rudimentary dance steps appear to have been modeled after folk forms from around the world, with additional borrowings from classic country and rock ‘n’ roll. Magid wrote the script, Ettinger the music and Patterson the lyrics. Michael Preston, who in the past has performed as a Karamazov, directed.

Overall quite family-friendly, “Life” nevertheless might require a bit of explanation back at home, due to a Monty Python-like skit early in the show that depicts conception and birth. It involves one Karamazov encased in what looks like a giant paper lantern (meant to suggest an egg) beset by white balls with little tails (sperm).

However, there’s no way to explain an overly long skit about Lord Krishna in love, since it contains no discernible point.

The juggling, though, is fantastic. To the Karamazovs, keeping a mere three balls in the air is old hat. They keep adding balls until the number seems to defy all universal laws. For variety, they dim the lights and juggle glowing balls. Or they invite the audience to supply unconventional objects to be juggled.

Superb multi-taskers, the Karamazovs grab instruments and form a line. Each keeps one hand on his own instrument and lends the other hand to the guy next to him, so that, for instance, one performer fingers a guitar’s chords while his neighbor strums. One-handed, the guys on each end juggle across the length of the line.

Flubs, though, are the most entertaining element of all. A dropped juggling club during a group routine requires the nearest Karamazov to retrieve it while keeping all the other clubs aloft. To break the tension, a fellow performer is liable to whisper, “Hurry. I don’t think anybody noticed.” These chance incidents prove that the Karamazovs are only human -- which, in the final analysis, is the most eloquent thing that “Life” has to say about life.

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‘Life: A Guide for the Perplexed’

Where: San Diego Repertory Theatre at the Lyceum, Horton Plaza, downtown San Diego

When: 8 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays, 2 and 7 p.m. Sundays. Also 2 p.m. this Saturday only.

Ends: Feb. 6

Price: $26.50 to $41.50

Contact: (619) 544-1000 or www.sandiegorep.com

Running time: 1 hour, 50 minutes