On Theater: A big, bad ‘Wolf’ -- maybe
The latest, and last, in a series of world premieres in this year’s Pacific Playwrights Festival at South Coast Repertory is a calculated mixture of elements from outer space and inner turmoil, a mesmerizing experience called “Mr. Wolf.”
Playwright Rajiv Joseph, whose “Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo” lured Robin Williams to Broadway a few years ago, ventures into the scary area of child abduction in this new project, which veers between the cerebral and the visceral. It’s hauntingly directed by David Emmes, who co-founded SCR over a half-century ago.
Joseph’s protagonist is a 15-year-old prodigy named Theresa, who apparently has been living with the title character since she was taken from her parents at the age of 3. She appears unharmed physically and thoroughly nourished intellectually.
Now freed, Theresa must decide whether to live with her father — who’s divorced from her mother and married to a woman whose child also has been abducted — or her wealthy mother, now relocated to Canada. Given their inflammatory characters, Theresa couldn’t be blamed for preferring the company of Mr. Wolf.
Trouble is, he’s now dead, by his own hand, although the actor playing this character, the marvelously articulate John de Lancie, keeps returning in other guises — a doctor, an FBI agent, etc. How this circuitous tale plays out isn’t really revealed until the very end of the story.
The central figure of Theresa is beautifully enacted by Emily James, a senior at Cal State Fullerton making her SCR debut. James’ character talks in riddles and drops lines like “My life is specific to me.” (She uses that one frequently.) The actress skillfully lures viewers into her private world with a mixture of precociousness and naivete.
De Lancie, meanwhile, keeps his audience endeavoring to ascertain whether he is a benevolent mentor or an “unsub” from TV’s “Criminal Minds.” He excels both as the outwardly admirable Mr. Wolf and as the businesslike FBI agent probing Wolf’s lair for evidence of unspeakable crimes.
Jon Tenney impresses as Theresa’s emotionally distant father, whose stoicism is punctured by the return of his ex-wife, fervently seeking a reunification both with her daughter and her ex-husband. Tessa Auberjonois plays this role, chafing at the presence of the new spouse, convincingly presented by Kwana Martinez as a mother fearing the worst for her absent daughter.
The show’s multiple settings, designed by Nephelie Andonyadis, present just enough contrast to accomplish their mission. Effective as well are Leah Piehl’s costumes and the lighting design of Lap Chi Chu.
As an SCR world premiere, “Mr. Wolf” falls into the middle ground between the fulfilling “Of Good Stock” and the undernourished “tokyo fish story.” It’s an evening of disarming mind games at South Coast Repertory.
*
Laguna Beach’s No Square Theatre will present an evening of Kander and Ebb music this weekend at its showplace, 385 Legion St. Performance times are 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 6:30 p.m. Sunday.
Bree Burgess Rosen directs the one-weekend-only production. Tickets are $20 in advance and $20 at the door. They may be ordered at https://www.nosquare.org.
TOM TITUS reviews local theater for the Daily Pilot.
If You Go
What: “Mr. Wolf”
Where: South Coast Repertory, Julianne Argyros Stage, 655 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa
When: 7:45 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays, 2 and 7:45 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays through May 3 (no 7:45 p.m. show May 3)
Cost: Starts at $22
Information: (714) 708-5555 or https://www.scr.org
