David Hyde Pierce somehow always manages to project a vaguely uncomfortable, awkward quality in his characters. It feels totally appropriate for Close Up Space, the uncomfortable, awkward new comedy being presented by the Manhattan Theatre Club. This overly mannered play by Molly Smith Metzler squanders not only the talents of its leading man, but also such terrific supporting players as Rosie Perez and Michael Chernus and its talented director, Leigh Silverman (Well, Chinglish).

Hyde Pierce here plays a role that fits him like a glove: Paul, the widowed, high-strung head of a small but prestigious Manhattan publishing house. He’s the sort of exacting editor whose standards are so rigorous that he takes it upon himself to edit a letter--sent by the dean of the expensive private school his daughter attends—informing him that she’s just been kicked out.

Her malfeasances are not his only problems. His best-selling author (Perez) is deeply unhappy over Paul’s editing of her trashy tomes. And his homeless office manager (Chernus) has been reduced to camping out overnight in a tent in the middle of the office.

And when daughter Harper (Colby Minifie), finally does make an appearance, she insists on hurling both insults at him in Russian and the snowballs she’s brought along in her bag.

Balancing whimsy with emotion to little effect, the play barely makes any sense whatsoever. The central element—the relationship between father and daughter that has suffered due to his emotional withdrawal after his wife’s death—is handled in such silly absurdist fashion that it’s impossible to care about the outcome. And Hyde Pierce’s low-key charm is so potent that despite his character’s numerous faults, he remains entirely sympathetic, especially as compared to the bizarre creatures surrounding him.

Perez and Chernus occasionally manage to wrest some laughs from their poorly conceived roles, something that is clearly beyond Minifie. But as usual with this theater, there’s at least one redeeming element--Todd Rosenthal’s gorgeously detailed set, so warm and inviting that more than a few audience members will also be tempted to set up residence there.

New York City Center—Stage I, 131 W. 55th St. 212-581-1212. www.nycitycenter.org.