Ready, aim …Edith Can Shoot Things and Hit Them

B Street Theatre’s Edith Can Shoot Things and Hit Them is right on-target—a lively, provocative examination of “family”: the family we’re born with, the family we wish we had, and the family we create. There’s plenty of comedy in this drama about two young siblings who nurture and protect each other with little or no adult supervision.

Kenny, 16, and his 12-year-old sister Edith live together in a remote farmhouse in rural Middle America. Their mother is dead; their absentee father might as well be; and then there’s an about-to-be stepmother who shows up unannounced late one night, with complications.

Edith was born at the 2011 Humana Festival of New American Plays and has its West Coast premiere here at B Street. Teresa Avia Lim, who plays the precocious title character, and Jon Norman Schneider, who plays Kenny, reprise the roles they originated at the Humana Festival and are joined by Jason Edward Cook as Benji, Kenny’s school “study buddy” with whom he falls in love. As their romance unfolds with youthful giddiness and abandon, repercussions begin to be felt. These three have formed an unconventional but functional family unit until outside forces assert themselves.

May Adrales, who directed the Humana debut, again directs this still-evolving combination coming of age, coming-out story. Steven Schmidt’s utilitarian set and Ron Madonia’s fine lighting enhance the production.