Ben Dibble in ‘Herringbone’

Dibble is accompanied only by a three-piece onstage band as he impersonates George, a poor but talented boy from Alabama, as well as George’s relatives and acquaintances — singing, dancing, performing acrobatics, and playing serious dramatic scenes. With his pliable face and physique, Dibble endows each character with an individual personality.

The numbers that most stand out are a suave tango danced by Dibble with a suitcase as his partner, and a four-hand piano duet by Dibble and Dan Kazemi, who plays deadpan and engagingly throughout the show. Every song gives Dibble fresh opportunities to use his expressive face, his voice, and his body to impress. Sometimes he’s gymnastic; at other times he’s pitiable in his repose.

Notwithstanding Skip Kennon’s old-fashioned melodious tunes and Ellen Fitzhugh’s clever lyrics, Herringbone itself is an awkward conveyance, plagued by a surrealistic plot and unappealing protagonists. A hustling agent insists on sending the young George on a vaudeville tour, with promises of a career in Hollywood. When the vaudevillian Lou is killed, his soul then occupies George’s body as a vehicle to achieve showbiz success. That’s the extent of the plot, but who cares? We just want to see Dibble perform.

The inane albeit catchy opening song sets the tone: George declares that 1929 was the most important year of his life, never mind that he was only eight years old. Yet Dibble’s endearing way with the song makes us forget its incongruous premise.

The Flashpoint troupe used a comfortable theater in the rear of the First Baptist Church. Be aware in the future that the seating is unreserved, and later arrivals have to sit in side sections that are not on risers and have only a limited view.