THEATER REVIEW:

Playwright Donald Margulies has provided some of South Coast Repertory’s more impressive moments with such works as “Sight Unseen,” “Collected Stories” and the Pulitzer Prize-winning “Dinner With Friends.”

These plays all dealt with complex interpersonal relationships. His latest project, however, takes on all the trappings of a Saturday afternoon serial at the local Bijou — at least through most of its abbreviated running time.

The full title of Margulies’ 90-minute epic is “Shipwrecked! An Entertainment, the Amazing Adventures of Louis de Rougemont (as Told by Himself).” The play, like the title, is quite a mouthful.

In its world-premiere production on SCR’s Julianne Argyros Stage, “Shipwrecked” offers playgoers a spirited one-man adventure

Itzin both narrates and experiences his story — that of a sickly teen-age youth who sets out to see the world aboard a pearl-hunting vessel and becomes stranded on a South Sea island for three decades.

With Itzin’s forceful narration, and his re-creation of the incidents in his adventure, it’s easy enough to accept his tale at face value.

Upon his return to England, however, the doubters and naysayers turn his triumph into trauma, driving a wedge of doubt between de Rougemont and his rapt audience. We must search out the truth for ourselves, based on Itzin’s dramatic rendition.

Here, the central character has a most convincing advocate. Itzin throws himself wholeheartedly into his rather incredible story.

Melody Butiu performs effectively in various guises, from Louis’ mother to the sea captain to the native girl he falls in love with and marries.

Whether the Robinson Crusoe-like tale is true, its production is an invigorating one under the direction of Bart DeLorenzo. Set designer Keith E. Mitchell has created an intricate all-purpose atmosphere.

Believe it or not, “Shipwrecked” is, as its title promises, an entertainment. In the hands of a superior actor such as Itzin, it’s a complete experience.

IF YOU GO

WHAT: “Shipwrecked! An Entertainment, the Amazing Adventures of Louis de Rougemont (as Told by Himself)”

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

WHEN: Tuesdays through Fridays at 7:45 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays at 2 and 7:45, until Oct. 14

COST: $28 to $62

CALL: (714) 708-5555

 Powerful ‘Magdalene’ on Costa Mesa stage

Tucked away in an unobtrusive corner of Costa Mesa, the Three Trees Theater delivers a message of hope and redemption with its powerful staging of the West Coast premiere of “Magdalene — the New Musical.”

Taking its subject from the Bible and offering a fictionalized account of the title heroine’s life and hard times, playwright and Broadway actress Allison Metcalf Allen has fashioned a gripping and often compelling story, set to stirring music by Grammy-nominated composers Chris Eaton and Michele Pillar.

Allen has given the legendary Mary Magdalene a fascinating back story of being raped by four Roman soldiers at the age of 14, fleeing her home in shame and being lured into prostitution, only to be saved from stoning by Jesus and set on a righteous path.

With a strong cast directed by Shawn Kathryne King and headed by two Actors Equity union members, this modern-dress “Magdalene” fills the stage with passion and power, sidestepping some melodramatic pitfalls along the way. The six-piece orchestra, under the baton of Robert Blaney, offers stirring support, though it tends to drown out the weaker singers on occasion.

The title role is such an enormous challenge that it takes two strong actresses to portray her, each registering high on the emotional scale. Chelsea Brannon enacts the younger Mary, while professional actress Christia Mantzke fleshes out the character of the older Magdalene, occasionally interacting with her younger self.

Brannon beautifully depicts the teenage Mary as a free-spirited girl, mischievous but hardly naughty, and betrothed to a neighbor lad (Stephen J. Zygo) whom she meets under the watchful eye of her nosy brother (Geoffrey Voss).

Mantzke’s older and considerably wiser Magdalene (the name simply identifies a person from the town of Magdala) is a compelling presence, a mistress of her craft and emotionless purveyor of the oldest profession. Her conversion after the near-stoning is performed with heartfelt enthusiasm.

There are, as might be expected, some minor disappointments. The stoning scene doesn’t include its most famous line (“let he who is without sin, etc.”), and the promised reunion between Mary and her long-abandoned suitor never materializes, even though an early line of dialogue telegraphs it.

“Magdalene, the New Musical” is, quite obviously, aimed at the more religious of audiences, though it may be thoroughly enjoyed by the non-devout as well.

IF YOU GO

WHAT: Magdalene - The New Musical

WHERE: Three Trees Theatre, The BOX, 345 Fischer Ave., Costa Mesa

WHEN: Wednesday - Friday 8:00 p.m ., Saturdays 2 and 8:00 p.m., until Oct. 27

COST: $20

Tickets may be purchased online www.threetreestheatre.com

TOM TITUS reviews local theater for the Daily Pilot. His reviews appear Thursdays.