On Theater:

You don’t need to be an astrophysicist to enjoy “A Wrinkle in Time,” the latest Theater for Young Audiences presentation at South Coast Repertory, but it wouldn’t hurt.

This engrossing blend of time travel and fantasy may puzzle the younger members of the audience, but those in junior high and above probably will find themselves entranced, if not by the story then by the special effects that accompany it.

Madeline L’Engle’s 1962 children’s novel about two siblings crashing through time to rescue their captive scientist father from another planet has been adapted by SCR’s associate director John Glore into an exciting adventure yarn with sufficient message points for pre-teen (and older) audiences.

Glore uses the time-worn phrase “It was a dark and stormy night” to open the show, but lays particular emphasis on the first word. “It” will prove paramount to the story when push comes to shove — recalling the vintage movie “Forbidden Planet.”

Director Shelley Butler brings all this fantasy to life with the assistance of set designer Fred Kinney, costume designer Paloma H. Young and, in particular, the lighting and video designs of Jason H. Thompson, who provides some arresting visuals of time and space travel.

At the center of the interstellar quest is young Meg Murry (Rebecca Mozo), who enlists her brainy brother Charles Wallace (Stewart Calhoun) in a galactic journey to locate their missing father (SCR veteran Daniel Blinkoff).

They’re supported on the mission by a ditsy matron, Mrs. Whatsit (Milliam Francis McGuire), whose sisters Mrs. Who (Tessa Auberjonois, who also plays the mother) and Mrs. Which (Blinkoff again), along with a childhood buddy, Calvin (James Michael Lambert).

Mozo delivers a particularly enthusiastic performance as a courageous young girl who must use “her faults” to reunite the family. Calhoun interacts roboticallly, as written, while Lambert, the school jock, seems just along for the ride — a bumpy one, as it turns out.

Auberjonois works well with her multiple characters, topping her performance as a gigantic praying mantis-type creature known as “Aunt Beast” (but she’s friendly). Blinkoff’s solid portrayal anchors the later elements, while McGuire excels as a Wizard of Oz-type character with searing red eyes who rules the planet with the mysterious “It.”

“A Wrinkle in Time” will appeal to youngsters interested in space and science, while its fantasy elements will capture younger imaginations.

If You Go

What: “A Wrinkle in Time”

Where: South Coast Repertory, Julianne Argyros Theater, 655 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa

When: Closing performances 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Saturday

Cost: $17 to $29

Call: (714) 708-5555

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