THEATER REVIEW:If ‘Wandering Boy’ seems to meander, it does

Before the first actor appears on stage, you’re aware that “My Wandering Boy” is not about to make himself known — there’s no actor credited in the role of Emmett Boudin, the title character in Julie Marie Myatt’s strange but intriguing play now in its world premiere at South Coast Repertory.

The intrigue lies in the quest to locate Emmett, an exemplary young man who touched a number of lives, then seems to have vanished off the face of the earth.

Does the fact that he’s just inherited some $2 million from his grandmother have anything to do with his disappearance? Or is he even aware of his good fortune?

That’s where the strangeness comes in — as the quandary faced by private detective Howard (played by “Night Court’s” Charlie Robinson) as he strives both to uncover the missing pieces of Emmett’s life and to ascertain whether or not the young man still actually has one. It’s a frustrating mission fraught with red herring clues and conflicting characters.

Director Bill Rauch guides Robinson and the play’s other six actors through the labyrinth that is Myatt’s circuitous story, unearthing a good deal of background on the missing man’s friends and family but precious little concerning Emmett himself. If playgoers don’t expect a logical conclusion, they may well be satisfied.

Myatt elects to focus her story on the effect her invisible title character has (or had) on the lives of these half-dozen people on stage. As Robinson’s character delves deeper into the puzzle, more complexities of character appear.

Robinson literally walks more than a mile in Emmett’s shoes — confiscated from a beach bum (Brent Hinkley) who allegedly found them on the sand. He probes into Emmett’s home life, eliciting a pair of juicy performances from Mom and Pop (Richard Doyle and Elizabeth Ruscio), checks out former lovers (Purva Bedi and Veralyn Jones) and an embittered best friend (John Cabrera).

South Coast Repertory veteran Doyle unearths some passionate depth beneath his Mr. Middle America character, a father frustrated by his failure to connect with his son on any level. Ruscio, after merely fussing with Doyle through Act I, unburdens her heart beautifully in the second act.

Hinkley’s bearded vagrant spars gleefully with the short-fused Robinson on various occasions. Bedi runs the gamut between philosophical acceptance and seething outrage, while Jones proudly bears the fruits of her association with Emmett in her arms, and Cabrera harbors a mild resentment toward his old buddy.

A seventh character in the drama is Christopher Acebo’s sprawling setting, which incorporates residences, the beach and a panoramic backdrop (coordinated by Austin Switser) on which the world is displayed through Emmett’s eyes. Acebo also offers a magnificent evolving sunset in the play’s initial act.

This world premiere — the 100th unveiled at South Coast Repertory in over 40 years of touching all theatrical bases — has the look and texture of an ongoing television series such as “The Fugitive,” at the end of which some resolution would be forthcoming. Don’t look for it in this otherwise provocative and involving presentation at South Coast Repertory.

IF YOU GO

WHAT: “My Wandering Boy”

WHERE: South Coast Repertory Segerstrom Stage, 655 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa

WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays, 8 p.m. Wednesdays through Fridays, 2:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturdays, and 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Sundays until May 6

COST: $20 to $51

CALL: (714) 708-5555