Curchack, Stein in Modern Abel and Cain

In “Abel and Cain, a Biblical Debacle” at the Odyssey Theater, internationally renowned solo performance artists Fred Curchack and Daniel Stein collaborate as creator-performers for the first time. (Curchack has directed Stein in the past and currently has two solo pieces running at the Odyssey.) The two, whose theatrical credits range from Japanese Noh to the French National Theatre, have engineered a satirical sendup of the creative process that is as eclectic as their backgrounds.

Each of the three ever-shifting story lines examines the frictional quest for power within brotherly associations. The blasphemously rendered biblical tale of Cain and Abel provides a jumping-off point for the story of two bickering brothers--a Hollywood producer and a mime--who are collaborating on a film of Cain and Abel. If that isn’t complicated enough, the action segues into real life, with brother artists Curchack and Stein playing themselves, battling over artistic issues, bickering over petty points and shattering the fourth wall to involve--and at times attack--the audience in their ongoing dialectic.

It’s an in-your-face Martin and Lewis routine with a Dada-esque edge. Curchack and Stein may not reel in all the intellectual lines they have laid, but their material is funny, challenging and risky, and their special effects, produced by a couple of flashlights and a scrim, are as spectacular as they are simple.

* “Abel and Cain, a Biblical Debacle,” Odyssey Theatre, 2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles. Sundays, 7 p.m. Ends May 21. $19.50. (310) 477-2055. Running time: 1 hour, 20 minutes.