Devin doesn’t want to be like this, Houston playwright Michael Weems tells us in the program for his new play, End of the World. The “this” he refers to is his main character’s obsessive need to drown out the world the only way that seems to work for her – by listening to sonic boom-level thunderstorms.

Her loving family tries to support her, a friend attempts to help, even her boss cuts her some caring slack. But none of it matters, Devin’s un-named/unexplained spiral means only the thunder will do.

It’s a compelling allegory, one that Weems could have thrown all sorts of theatrical tricks at. Magical realism, metaphor, first-person exploration, gallows comedy, 4th wall, confluence etc. Instead, what we get is mostly straight-ahead humor. This despite telling us in his playwright’s notes that Devin’s plight isn’t, “fun or quirky or hashtaggable.” It’s a little disappointing then that Weems has given us a play that leans heavily on all three of these things.

Devin (a well-modulated Adina Opalek) had things under control until the thunder sound app she was relying on ceased to deliver. Louder, she needed louder. After overhearing Devin's at-work meltdown, one of many we are made to assume, her boss, Ms. Bell (Alison Coriell), demands she take a day off to gather herself and return issue-free.

At home, we learn that Devin’s addiction to thunder has wreaked havoc on her family life as well. Saintly husband Bradley (Brian Kondrach) tries to support her, jumping through hoops to recapture the spark they once had. Her teenage daughter Ella (a soothing Andrea Torres) is torn between frustration at Devin’s lack of motherly attention and concern about her plight.

Father and daughter, along with Devin's friend, Poppy (played with strong straight-man quirkiness by Katherine Rinaldi) devise a plan to bring some normalcy and hopefully happiness back to the family. While Poppy takes Devin out for a spa day, Bradley plans a romantic evening for him and his wife and Ella arranges to sleep over at friends.

Weems does have an easy way with the laughs in this setup. "It's been a while," says Bradley after a successful dinner has ended and the seduction creaks forward. "I'm feeling an awful combination of awkward and desperate."

But a weather emergency signal ends the comedy’s elegance as the couple turns on the news. There they find a meteorologist (Coreill once again) broadly railing against the public’s hate/mocking of her accuracy while trying to warn everyone to higher ground ahead of the impending storm.

When the evacuation notice comes, Brad, Ella and Poppy are ready to go. Devin not so much. Damn her family, she’s staying for the thunder.

Here again, Weems goes for yuks over cleverness by splitting the family up and injecting drunkenness, and sex into the mix. Devin's encounter with rescue worker Emmett (Aaron Garrett) is so full of jokey moments we forget that Devin has an issue at all. At this point, we're laughing at her, which seems counter to the empathy Weems has said he hopes to evoke.

This tonal shift is mirrored by the use of Barbie and Ken dolls handled by two stagehands (Cindy Lou Parker and Autumn Clack), who use the dolls to simulate action in the script. Mostly driving.

If last season in Houston theater taught us nothing, it’s that dolls/puppets on stage get a reaction, and yes, it’s cute to see miniatures of our characters jammed into toy cars while Lou and Clack weave them about the stage as they motor to their destination. But is cute what Weems is after? It’s unclear.

What’s also unclear is why, when not Barbie-tasked, the stagehands lurk about the stage, staring creepily at Devin or freezing in various acrobatic positions. Perhaps director Ruth S McCleskey was trying to evoke a kind of Chorus-like effect or maybe Weems saw them as Devin’s inner demons.

Either way, it’s puzzling.

As is, End of the World, feels like a terrific idea in need of a focus. New plays are delicate things and should be treated as such. They are also rare in this city, especially when penned by a local talent. In Devin's struggle Weems has a lot to work with, let's hope he continues to noodle it so our laughter is in service to her.

End of the World continues through February 24 at Cone Man Running's Studio, Suite 233,1824 Spring Street. For tickets visit conemanrunning.com/end. $15 to $20.