You might say that everything in David Lindsay-Abaire's world sits just a little bit akimbo. That is, if you know what "akimbo" means.

It's an adjective referenced in the title of Lindsay-Abaire's "Kimberly Akimbo," referring to the posture of having one's hands on hips, with elbows bent outward. It's a position that suggests a little bit of attitude, along with a certain off-centeredness. Both of these implications are perfectly appropriate for Lindsay-Abaire himself, as he's known for plays with a skewed, goofball worldview and cutting comic edge.

"Kimberly Akimbo," premiering in Seattle via Repertory Actors Theatre, stays this curlicue path. Lindsay-Abaire turns traditional family roles topsy-turvy for a look at the little-known disease progeria, in which aging occurs four times faster than normal.

The author's previous work seen in Seattle ("Fuddy Meers") tells us this won't be your average disease-of-the-week tearjerker fare.

The fact that it's ReAct, with artistic director David Hsieh at the directing helm, tells us that even these screwy characters will be given a thoughtful treatment.

These characters are doozies, too — adjective-laden zanies with more issues than fingers to count them on. There's Kimberly, a super-aged teenager whose disease makes her look 60, and who has learned to cope with her peers' (and parents') nonacceptance of her. There's Pattie, her manipulative, hypochondriac mother, and Debra, her lesbian con-artist aunt.

It's the kind of superficial baggage that often makes these people seem two-dimensional, but Hsieh's no-frills style seems to have allowed his cast to discover the characters beneath the labels.

As Kimberly, Diane Felty seizes the chance to play a 16-year-old for probably the last time, creating a solid center around which her parents can spin aimlessly. As Jeff, anagram addict and budding love interest, Michael Scott does a nasally Andy Dick-esque interpretation that charms in its infinite detail.

There a few too obvious moments — that we can spot from about a mile away.

Ultimately, though, this story of Kimberly's self-discovery and her family's self-involvement wins by basking in its "bentness," shoving off feel-good clichés for a uniquely honest (if strange) look at family dynamics in the face of disease.