Photo courtesy of Lyric Hyperion Theatre

“Which way is up?” is the question protagonist Eddie poses throughout the course of Lee Kirk’s absurdist comedy, "Sad Happy Sucker."

Literally stuck to the ground in his mother’s backyard, unable to move in the midst of a six-day long existential crisis, Eddie (Eddie Ebell) is joined by his oblivious mother and pompous doctor (Lauri Johnson and Valentine Miele, respectively) who attempt to diagnose his issues while thoroughly denying their own. 

The stage direction and scenery contribute to the play’s ironic tone. Set against the backdrop of a typical suburban backyard, Act I opens with 1950s sitcom-style music chirping as Eddie stands paralyzed on the grass, face contorted in response to the unspoken anxieties swirling in his head. The veneer of normalcy is cracking, and it’s only a matter of time before everyone feels the effects.

As the characters chip away at the root of Eddie's immobility, the dense, denial-laden first act gives way to a more spacious and contemplative second. It is here that the play’s most interesting and meaningful moments take place.

Eddie’s plight has penetrated both his mother’s and doctor’s psyches, shattering the false constructs of reality they had previously inhabited.

Johnson gives an especially powerful performance as her character revisits unpleasant memories she had long repressed, confronting the possibility of Godlessness and the notion that the universe may only consist of “endless empty space.”

So, which way is up?

In "Sad Happy Sucker," both the characters and audience are forced to admit that there is no clear answer; that our place in the universe cannot be defined. At the heart of Lee Kirk’s play, however, lies an even deeper question. If we are insignificant, if our lives have no purpose, what is the next step? We are stuck. Now what?

"Sad Happy Sucker" is produced by "The Office"’s Jenna Fischer and directed by Sean Gunn. It plays Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 7 p.m. now through Oct. 10 at Silver Lake’s Lyric Hyperion Theatre.

Tickets are $15-20. For more information, call 323-342-2261, or visit http://www.sadhappysucker.com.