Clear-Eyed Vision in ‘On the Blink’

Lynn Manning is a local hero of sorts. Raised in South-Central and blinded in a bar brawl at age 23, he’s been artistically reborn as a writer-performer of note--as evidenced by his “On the Blink” at the Lex Theater.

As the title suggests, Manning doesn’t shy away from vision metaphors and other ways of pointing up his own condition. His often confrontational writings usually focus on literally or figuratively unsighted people.

“Before the Drive to Oakwood Station” is an unsettling monologue about a postal clerk who’s just killed his wife and kids, strongly performed by John Freeland Jr. and insightfully directed by Roxanne Rogers. Manning himself appears in the more politically problematic “Object Lesson,” in which a blind man gets his girlfriend to narrate porno videos, directed by Mark Haining. Also on the bill are some of Manning’s poems--including a searing one on crack cocaine, performed by Laurie Lathem--and the earlier “Shoot,” an hard-edged piece of writing about a blind guy who buys a gun.

*”On the Blink,” Lex Theater, 6760 Lexington Ave., Hollywood . Fridays-Saturdays, 8 p.m. Ends June 19. $10. (213) 463-6244. Running time: 1 hour, 45 minutes.