Many critics accused the recent hit movie Little Miss Sunshine of borrowing stock eccentric characters from the abstract Land of Generic Quirk. The same might be said of Martha, Josie and the Chinese Elvis, a play with characters who seem to be a conveniently thrown-together group of wackos rather than anything resembling a realistically dysfunctional family. We’re talking a dominatrix, a possibly-retarded sister, an obsessive-compulsive cleaning lady, and naturally, the Elvis, to name a few. Luckily, most of the actors assembled here by Woolly Mammoth Theater are up to the task of creating real people out of the caricatures they’ve been given.

Take Sarah Marshall. So horribly miscast in last year’s The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, Marshall here recaptures what makes her a comedic fixture on the D.C. stage. Her Martha is a repressed woman who puts more stock in superstition than experience. Her tics, such as counting “1-2-3-4-5” at every turn to mark her OCD nature, would in the wrong hands seemed forced, but Marshall keeps them pretty fresh. She brings a much-needed tenderness balanced by an amusing frankness to Marie’s tentative romance with dry cleaner and S&M fan (yeah, add him to the list of loons) Lionel (David Bryan Jackson).

Wondering where these characters fit into the storyline? Here’s a quick rundown: It’s Josie’s (Beth Hylton) birthday, and Lionel, one of the dominatrix’s clients, has assembled her maid, her daughter Brenda-Marie (Kimberly Gilbert) and, to shake things up a bit, an Asian Elvis impersonator (Tony Nam), in order to celebrate. Everyone’s surprised when Shelley-Louise (Tiffany Fillmore), Jodie’s presumed-dead daughter, shows up to the party.

There are some confusing elements to this narrative. Why is Brenda-Marie made out to be “simple” and mentally challenged, but still delivering all of the play’s most clever and poignant one-liners? Why does Josie keep randomly changing costumes? Where exactly does Elvis fit into all of this?

It is Elvis that is the play’s weakest link. Nam does fine when bonding with Brenda-Marie, but his musical numbers are an issue. They’re neither so-bad-they’re-hilarious nor at all moving or entertaining. They’re just awkwardly mediocre, and while that might be a realistic take on what it’d be like to have an Elvis impersonator show up at your birthday party, it isn’t particularly fun to watch.

It’s a good thing Kimberly Gilbert, much like Woolly's lovely and detailed set, is extremely engaging to behold. Her Brenda-Marie is hysterical, whether taking those around her to task or giving a wonderfully bizarre slapstick performance as an imaginary ice dancer. Of all the bizarre offerings that Martha, Josie and the Chinese Elvis has assembled, here is the weirdness that works.

Martha runs through Dec. 10 at Woolly Mammoth Theater. Tickets are available online.