There’s at least one thing to be said for Theatrical Outfit’s “A Wrinkle in Time:” Unlike a lot of shows that target kids and that often seem too cute and simplistic for most adults, this production might leave some grown-ups in the audience scratching their heads, wondering whether they’re any smarter than a fifth-grader.
A degree in quantum physics probably couldn’t hurt, but the biggest prerequisite for being able to follow this convoluted sci-fi fantasy is a familiarity with the 1962 Madeleine L’Engle novel on which John Glore’s play is based. The obligatory moral of the piece is elementary -- goodness, light and individuality prevail over evil, darkness and conformity -- although getting there can be an exasperating ordeal if you haven’t already read up on the concept of “tessering” or about life in such distant galaxies as Uriel and Camazotz.
If nothing else, fans of the book are at an advantage to fill in the gaps of director Justin Anderson’s economical Outfit staging (or Glore’s hodgepodge of a script, as the case may be). Meanwhile, the uninitiated among us, who wouldn’t know the story’s Mrs. Whatsit from Mrs. Which from Mrs. Who, may feel lost in space.
At this late date, in these post-“Harry Potter” times, it’s hard to imagine the show winning L’Engle many converts, whatever their age. Anderson’s production doesn’t generate much in terms of futuristic awe or atmosphere, owing more to video designer Jonathan Summers’ basic backdrops in establishing the various otherworldly scenes than to the minimal set by Nadia Morgan and Katina Parham (who are also credited for the prop design of a nefarious mind-controlling force known as “IT” that isn’t especially frightening or intimidating).
Glore leans rather heavily on a lot of exposition, but listening to characters describe the thrill of time travel is a poor substitute for simulating it in any theatrically inventive way. Different ensemble members take turns narrating parts of the story, and some of their dialogue has been prerecorded or otherwise electronically altered by sound designer Brian Patterson, with frequently garbled results.
Anderson uses young adults in the play’s adolescent roles, led by Emma Jackson as the plucky heroine, Meg Murry. Accompanied by a boyfriend from school (Lowrey Brown as Calvin O’Keefe) and her precocious kid brother (Andrew Crigler as Charles Wallace), she embarks on an astronomical mission to rescue her father, a government scientist held captive by “IT.”
Rounding out the cast are veteran actors Mark Cabus, Kate Donadio and Marianne Fraulo in a variety of character parts -- including Mrs. Which, Mrs. Who and Mrs. Whatsit, respectively, a trio of guardian angels, as it were. The show’s only truly magical moment belongs to Fraulo, who in one scene transforms from a disheveled “hobo” into an elegant winged creature.
The rest is mostly muddled.
Theater review
“A Wrinkle in Time”
Grade: C-
Through May 6. 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays-Saturdays; 2:30 p.m. Saturdays-Sundays; 2:30 p.m. April 25; 11 a.m. May 2 and May 4. $16-$32. The Balzer Theater at Herren’s, 84 Luckie St. N.W., Atlanta. 1-877-725-8849. theatricaloutfit.org.
Bottom line: Lost in space.
