So far in 2010, I’ve encountered a lot of productions in L.A.’s sub-100-seat theaters that are proverbially close…but no cigar. Stylish…but not very substantive. Or intriguing…but unable to bring it all back home, so to speak.

I can’t write about all of these not-quite shows in depth, but let me vent a few thoughts about why they’re not…quite. Some of these actually opened in 2009:

Absinthe, Opium & Magic: 1920s Shanghai. It’s initially fun to pretend we’re boarding a French cruise to Shanghai in the ’20s. According to the synopsis in the press kit, however, the rest of the show supposedly takes place in Shanghai (while watching the show itself, I thought these might be imaginary shipboard entertainments). So the cruise conceit is more or less forgotten. The rest of the show is lavishly produced but feels formulaic - that the several little stories are so dark doesn’t make them especially insightful.  There’s little evidence that the Grand Guignolers are eager to move beyond stereotypes, when they have more fun celebrating them. ArtWorksTheatre, Hollywood, www.brownpapertickets.com.

Project: Wonderland. Here’s another show that looks smart and inventive, but the inventiveness stops short of the script. From the title, you’d think that it’s a personal statement from director Robert Prior, who was inspired by Lewis Carroll’s work. But apart from attributing Carroll’s vision to hashish (not absinthe, as in the Grand Guignolers’ show) Prior doesn’t add much that isn’t already in Carroll’s book. It turns into homage instead of a more contemporary statement. Bootleg Theater, L.A. www.bootlegtheater.com.

Violators Will Be Violated. This isn’t the usual actor’s showcase - it’s mostly non-verbal. But it’s still primarily a showcase. Casey Smith’s talent is much more impressive than the sum of these little bits of shtick. Circle X at Son of Semele, L.A. www.circlextheatre.org.

An Oak Tree. Here’s an even more original showcase. Creator Tim Crouch plays both the evening’s onstage auteur as well as the role of a failing British hypnotist. One-night actors take on the other role after only one hour of preparation. It’s a showcase for one and all. You can extrapolate larger reflections from the play - on the nature of suspension of disbelief, for example - but they’re muddied by the structure, which eventually begins to feel like an acting exercise more than anything else. Odyssey Theatre, West L.A. www.odysseytheatre.com

Gregory Sims in BAAL

Baal. Ben Rock’s production of Brecht’s early play takes off in Gregory Sims’ title performance, replete with animal magnetism, but eventually succumbs to the tedium of its downhill arc. This play lacks the specific political arguments of Brecht’s later work, and it makes you appreciate the propulsive qualities of Brecht’s later didacticism. Sacred Fools Theatre, L.A. www.sacredfools.org.

Loyalties. Tony Pasqualini uses irreconcilable differences between two San Diego families over their sons’ different attitudes to the Bush-era military adventures to underscore nearly-contemporary political points that Brecht might also have dramatized.  Pasqualini’s style, in contrast to Brecht’s, is a fierce realism - until a second-act scene literally blows away the play’s credibility, as one of the characters turns violent in an unusually creative and unlikely way. Pacific Resident Theatre, Venice. www.PacificResidentTheatre.com.

11, September. Speaking of puh-leeze moments in otherwise realistic plays, this one has, oh, nine or eleven of them. Paul Kampf’s script is cluttered and humorless, and despite its title, its relationship to what we think of as “September 11″ is dubious. If anyone is in the mood right now for a production with a tentative connection to that famous date, a much better bet is South Coast Repertory’s Ordinary Days. Breadline Productions at Odyssey Theatre, West L.A. www.odysseytheatre.com.

In the Company of Jane Doe. An overworked woman decides that a clone would be the perfect answer to her multi-tasking. A clever concept, yes, but the execution is messy in Tiffany Antone’s comedy, which apparently places its central story in the context of a dream, or maybe not - it was that unclear. Los Angeles Theatre Ensemble at Powerhouse Theatre, Santa Monica. www.latensemble.com.

Just 45 Minutes From Broadway. Henry Jaglom’s play about a theatrical family inhabits a sprawling, realistic set that looks that it might be lavish even for a LORT theater. But the play itself sprawls in a bad way, and if Jaglom’s title indicates an interest in actually taking it to Broadway, he should start by cutting at least 45 minutes. Edgemar Center for the Arts, Santa Monica. www.edgemarcenter.org