'Six Characters' search for author, and meaning

Absurdism is making an invigorating comeback for audiences who want to break the confines of traditional theater, and Luigi Pirandello’s 1921 absurdist "Six Characters In Search of an Author” fits that bill. Steve Moulds’ repenned translation trims the fat and fleshes out the details, bringing this delightful bit of escapist drama back to the stage.

The play, which features an all-student cast, is directed by Ed Wagenseller for the University of North Carolina Wilmington's Department of Theatre. It runs through Sunday in the Cultural Arts Building's Mainstage Theatre on the UNCW campus.

The story centers on a theater troupe having an open rehearsal for the audience, which is quickly dashed by the emergence of six characters demanding that their stories be told. As the "characters’" true nature begins to unfurl, the original four are drawn into the story, to both laughs and shocks.

Right at the start there’s a brilliant interplay between audience interaction and the world of the play: the frantic chaos of rehearsal and the required ego-smoothing that any theater professional will recognize are balanced by guiding the audience through the evening’s expectations almost as an afterthought, or a begrudging chore.

The comedy here is quick and furious. Tanner Whicker’s stage manager and John Williams’ director wield brevity, insecurity and sarcasm like scalpels. As the play is suddenly invaded by the seemingly random Victorian characters, the interplay flies thick and fast, the heady philosophy and almost melodramatic dialogue peppered with quick, caustic commentary, as if poking a pin into a Victorian soap-opera balloon.

The pacing in this portion feels off: rapid-fire dialogue being the norm in this play, here it ramps up a notch, becoming jumbled in the process as actors step on each other’s lines, killing some jokes before they can be set up and limiting the range that can be explored.

If I had to describe the evening in a single word, it would be “growth.” Once the pacing slows a bit the actors begin to hit their strides, diving into the meat of the story. The play’s true beauty begins to really shine here, the existential crisis of striving for life but not being truly "alive" are masterfully anguished over as the actors' shock and confusion slowly grows to worry and exasperation.

Performances that at first seem melodramatic become nuanced, cut-and-dry justifications become muddled with grudges and guilt, and the line is masterfully blurred between reality and fiction until the pivotal moment of the play (no spoilers here!), which left the audience, myself included, with mouths dangling open. From halfway to final bows, it's easy to forget this was a production by collegiate actors or, at times, even a production at all.

Definite kudos go to Savannah Dougherty and Renee Hapeman, the mother and stepdaughter respectively. While Hapeman’s stepdaughter could easily be played on one note as conniving and irate, she fleshed out the character into one with righteous fury, scratching for vindication. Doughtery’s mother was always on, always present and, with her range, grounded acting choices and subtlety, she transformed what could’ve been a sideline character into a vital one.

The lighting and projections are perfectly thematic and understated while evolving as the world of the play evolves with it.

If you're a glutton for existential dread, go see this production. Tissues, and a possible visit to your therapist, recommended.

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Want to go?

What: "Six Characters in Search of an Author," by Luigi Pirandello, presented by the University of North Carolina Wilmington's Department of Theatre

When: 8 p.m. April 11-13 and 2 p.m. April 14

Where: Mainstage Theatre in the Cultural Arts Building, UNCW campus

Info: Tickets are $15; $12 for seniors, UNCW employees and alums; $6 for students.

Details: 910-962-3500 or UNCW.edu/Theatre