THEATER REVIEW:

South Coast Repertory’s Teen Players have chosen, as their spring production, “Metamorphoses” — but don’t look for Franz Kafka or his oversized cockroach in this one.

This “Metamorphoses” will be all Greek to you. It’s a series of episodes from the myths of Ovid, featuring such timeless characters as Zeus, King Midas, Pandora, Orpheus, Narcissus and other characters who first surfaced around the time of Christ.

Some 13 different mythological stories are packaged into a 75-minute running time under the direction of Hisa Takakuwa, and the SCR teen ensemble delivers with youthful wit and wisdom. The 16 young players — all barefoot — take on a variety of characters in this elaborate production.

One of the more impressive young actors is Jake Weinberg, who enacts Midas in an early segment, yearning for the golden touch, then horrified that it extends to his daughter (Rachel Teague) in a poignant retelling of the familiar story.

In one of the more elaborate playlets, “Alcyone and Ceyx,” a powerful king (Jordan Bellow) leaves his fearful wife (Kamisha Brooks) for a dangerous sea journey in which Poseidon (Chase Anderson-Shaw) and Aphrodite (Ellis Beardsley) take a personal hand. The tale of Pandora is briefly rendered, with Lauren Gardner skillfully enacting the title character is a one-woman piece.

“Orpheus and Eurydice” is the showcase segment of the production as the lovers — played by Mikey DeBenedetto and Kendall Horn — strive to reconnect after she is consigned to the netherworld. Weinberg returns as the fearful Hades, while Brandon Barnes and Julian Sharifi impress as the cursed Tantalus and Sisyphus, respectively.

Shaw poses effectively as a self-absorbed Narcissus, while Gardner takes an equally indulgent turn as Pomona, pursued by a determined Vertumnus (Askay Sharma). DeBenedetto and Beardsley return to enact Eros and Psyche in an effective episode.

The program laudably details the characters of Ovid, as well as the mythological gods and goddesses who populate the SCR production. Angela Balogh Calin’s wispy settings and Jeff Brewer’s definitive lighting (save for the bright spot upstage which irritates the audience) are extremely effective.

“Metamorphoses” concludes its abbreviated engagement this weekend. It may not, as director Takakuwa cautions, be accessible to younger audiences, but those 12 and older should enjoy it immensely.

 IF YOU GO

WHAT: “Metamorphoses”

WHO: South Coast Repertory Teen Players

WHERE: Nicholas Studio, South Coast Repertory, 655 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa

WHEN: Closing performances at 7 p.m. Friday, at 4 and 7 p.m. Saturday, at 1 and 4 p.m. Sunday.

COST: $8.50

CALL: (714) 708-5555 or online at www.scr.org

SCR taking some hilarious “Steps”

Of all the various genres in theater, perhaps the most difficult to perfect is farce. The demands of timing, delivery and pure physical energy are ever present, but when these elements all are in alignment, the results can be joyous.

There are few exemplary farces, from “Room Service” to “Noises Off.” But South Coast Repertory has added another with its outlandishly hilarious production of Alan Ayckbourn’s madcap melange “Taking Steps.”

Written in 1979, “Taking Steps” is thrust back into the 1970s by director Art Manke, complete with the go-go dancer, a leisure suit and the wildest disco-powered curtain call you’re ever likely to see from the show’s super-charged six-member cast.

The real star of the production, however, is its setting — a three-story house sprawled over one level of the stage. Actors simulate ascending and descending up an imaginary flight of stairs and a faux spiral staircase, often crossing paths on “different” floors of the home.

All six performers in Manke’s wildly funny rendition are excellent, but first among equals is Rob Nagle as the prospective homeowner, a burly, glad-handing chap who’s made a fortune in the bucket business. Nagle has some of the play’s most outrageous moments and he carries them out with laugh-out-loud physicality.

As Nagle’s character is preparing to buy the house, his wife is secretly packing to leave him. Kirsten Potter beautifully enacts this role, a dancer who’s warming up loudly when she’s not packing or unpacking — or mistakenly seducing a guest while attempting a reconciliation.

Bill Brochtrup as her excitable brother, who needs Nagle’s financial assistance, frets and worries up a storm while pursuing a lost love and hiding her in the attic. He’s also noteworthy for his unique talent — of lulling listeners (including, eventually, himself) to sleep as he drones on about his problems.

Another discrete character is the junior solicitor, a young man woefully out of his depth who’s sandwiched into some juicy plot elements. Kasey Mahaffy masters the fragmented dialogue of the role and exhibits admirable timing in the process.

The house’s owner, frantically eager to sell the old place, is a shifty motorcyclist nicely portrayed by Louis Lotorto. Emily Eiden completes the picture of eccentricities as the ditsy young lady pursued by Brochtrup. She’s upstaged by a pair of painted legs which never are actually explained.

The setting, an immense challenge, is superbly executed by Ralph Funicello, who manages to depict each of the plethora of staging areas to full advantage. Angela Balogh Calin’s Seventies costumes are priceless, while Geoff Korf handles the tricky lighting design and Steven Cahill has resurrected some memorable music from three decades past.

It would be hard to recall a funnier production at SCR or elsewhere in recent seasons than “Taking Steps.” Alan Ayckbourn is the master of this brand of comedy and South Coast Repertory is the master of Ayckbourn’s work.

IF YOU GO:

WHAT: “Taking Steps”

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

WHEN: Tuesdays through Fridays at 7:30 or 8 p.m., Saturdays 2:30 & 8, Sundays at 2:30 & 7:30 until June 15

COST: $28 - $62

CALL: (714) 708-5555

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