‘Lost’ in a world of dangers

The leading soprano wears Doc Martens and kickboxes her brother’s butt; her fly girls sport more dreadlocks and eyeliner than Jack Sparrow, and the conductor turntables the score to the rhythm of strobe lighting. They’re all on the front lines of “Paradise Lost: Shadows and Wings,” the emphatic if underformed new rock opera at Pasadena’s Boston Court, featuring a book and music by Eric Whitacre, and lyrics by Whitacre and David Noroña.

A cast of 19, dense choral music, fight sequences, anime projections, puppetry and live taiko drumming (by On Ensemble) are all marshaled for a fable of liberation. Seventeen years ago, a fleet of angelic beings, facing a bloody war, hid their children from the impending cataclysm. Now those young refugees are nearly adults, and their asylum has become a sort of teenage Thunderdome, fractured by infighting and resentments. Their leader, Logos (Dan Callaway), battles with his sister, Exstasis (played with tremendous vocal and physical grace by Hila Plitmann), over the course the colony should take. Should they remain in their rocky enclave, endlessly challenging each other to tests of strength, or should they venture out to a new, probably lethal world?

For a 99-seat theater like Boston Court, “Paradise” is an undeniably impressive achievement. Directed with real scale and confidence by Michael Michetti, the show comes at you like a roller coaster -- a roar of youth, speed and metal.

But no matter how many resources you throw at a project, it all comes down to story, and here’s where “Paradise” is less than ideal. Whitacre’s sense of characterization and narrative never transcend a certain graphic-novel pulp, and the show feels a little hollow, as though it hasn’t grown into its ambitions. Still, its creators have plenty of chutzpah, and it’ll be worth seeing what they tackle next.

--Charlotte Stoudt

“Paradise Lost: Shadows and Wings,” the Theatre at Boston Court, 70 N. Mentor Ave., Pasadena. 8 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays. Ends Sept. 2. $20. (626) 683-6883. Running time: 2 hours, 30 minutes.

Exercise of ‘Power’ in Louis’ France

Playwright Nick Dear brings the obscurities of Louis XIV’s early reign into brilliant focus in “Power,” now in its West Coast premiere at the Banshee.

A clever study in the excesses of authority, Dear’s costume drama opens with the offstage death of Cardinal Mazarin -- the power behind the throne and reportedly the lover to Queen Anne (wonderfully overbearing Casey Kramer). As regent, Anne routinely dominates her son Louis (Steve Coombs), a naive, near-bankrupt young monarch who receives lavish infusions of cash from his dear friend Nicolas Fouquet (Matt Foyer). Witty, wealthy but not wise, Fouquet faces a deadly foe in Colbert (Jason Tendell), a colorless bureaucrat who accuses Fouquet of financial malfeasance. But the dashing Fouquet’s most unforgivable error lies in outshining the narcissistic Sun King.

Director McKerrin Kelly keeps the action briskly paced and perfectly in period, while her capable cast, clad in Laura Brody’s sumptuous costumes, tear into their meaty roles with relish. David Pavao is hilarious yet touching as Louis’ homosexual brother Philippe, whose apparent fecklessness conceals a keen sense of justice. Lesley Kirsten Smith strikes just the right note of wry resignation as Philippe’s frustrated wife, Henriette, who has a brief affair with Louis, although Andra Carlson borders on the bland as the ripely nubile lass who displaces Henriette.

In an otherwise satisfying turn, Coombs misses a few steps in his character’s inevitable progression from innocence to corrupting power. The manipulative older Louis doesn’t seem much different in manner and tone than his guileless youthful self -- a missed opportunity that tells on the play. However, the standout of this solidly satisfying production is Foyer as the cheerfully conniving Fouquet. Dashed from his pinnacle into a dungeon, he manages a wheezing whistle in the dark.

--F. Kathleen Foley

“Power,” the Banshee, 3435 W. Magnolia Blvd., Burbank. 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays. Ends Aug. 15. $18. (818) 846-5323. www.theatrebanshee.org. Running time: 2 hours, 20 minutes.

‘Lady’-like ways of ‘40s movies

Outré showcase meets shrewd artistry in the plays of Charles Busch, and “The Lady in Question,” his 1989 parody of ‘40s thrillers, is a mid-career peak, as the hard-working, off-kilter revival at Theatre Asylum demonstrates in spite of itself.

As self-absorbed title character Gertrude Garnet, actor R. Christofer Sands delivers a high-camp star turn. The character and her milieu are simultaneous homage and send-up of such WWII films as “Notorious,” “Above Suspicion,” ad infinitum. Sands’ posturing takes and vocal range view movie idols from Crawford to Garson through twisted sequins.

It’s a tour de force, so adroitly judged that the valiantly erratic results elsewhere become questionable by default. Remounted from its much-acclaimed Luna Playhouse run, the physical production is certainly ambitious. Maro Parian’s costumes are as lush as Henrik Mansourian’s lighting and Shahen Hagobian’s sound are winking. There is no denying everyone’s sincerity.

That is a problem. Although director Lilly Thomassian honors the script’s contours, its kitschy content -- concert pianist Gertrude and her friend Kitty (Sarah Lilly) become unlikely freedom fighters in Nazi-occupied Bavaria -- falls prey to studied beats, literal-mindedness and a variable cast.

In the dual roles of Nazi matriarch and imprisoned actress, Helen Duffy has a deadpan hambone attack, though her slapstick doesn’t quite jell. As the hero, Zeff Zwillinger reads too young but reveals pert farcical chops as the plot thickens. Dale Sandlin’s beleaguered professor/Mengele figure and Allen Poe’s villain are more pro-forma. Though tirelessly brazen, Lilly is dubious casting in the Julie Halston role, Andrew Wolf underplays his treacherous teenager to a fault, and so on.

Devotees of the property may be sated, but, sadly, this “Lady” is less satire than sketch comedy, a Sachertorte made of sauerkraut.

--David C. Nichols

“The Lady in Question,” Theatre Asylum, 6322 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood. 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 7 p.m. Sundays. $20. (800) 838-3006 or www .brownpapertickets.com/event/14787. Running time: 2 hours, 15 minutes.

Family nurturing is faithfully studied

In “Sacrificing Simone” at Stage 52 Playhouse, an upscale African American couple and the child that they abandoned as an infant upend each other’s perceptions about faith and heritage. Presented by the Diverse Arts Collective from First New Christian M.B.C., Alretha Thomas’ heartfelt dramedy has more content than most church-originated shows even consider.

Juggling two contrasting households, “Sacrificing Simone” starts with Lincoln Turner (Douglas C. Brown Sr.), an affluent lawyer, and Natalie (Jennifer Joan Tucker), his precognitive wife. Despite their frisky trio of children, neither has erased memories of the decision they made 30 years earlier.

Legal student Monet Green (Kelicea Meadows, alternating with Kellie Roberson) is a responsible anomaly in her dysfunctional home. Monet’s mother (Alice Jones) is as unaffectionate as her club-hopping sisters (Layce Lynn Ashby and Sharon Munfus) are scornful. Only her beloved nephews keep Monet from leaving this urban Cinderella situation.

Bradley (Trent L. Horn), the Turners’ spiritually inclined eldest, prefers inner-city teaching to law. Lincoln needs a paralegal for a high-profile project. These two factors send “Simone” careening through multiple complications to its redemptive ending.

Writer-director Thomas skillfully moves her large, likable cast around the impressive bipolar set design. The younger actors are especially spirited and, as plain-spoken Aunt Minnie, Carolyn Lawson devours entire scenes whole.

It is an inspirational crowd-pleaser, yet to move “Simone” past its appreciative core audience, serious rewrites are in order. The narrative veers between proactive sitcom and religious soap opera, with many foreseeable twists ordained less by divine intervention than authorial decree. This will hardly matter to in-house constituents.

--D.C.N.

“Sacrificing Simone,” Stage 52 Playhouse, 5299 W. Washington Blvd., L.A. 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 5 p.m. Sundays. Ends Aug. 19. $25. www .ticketweb.com or (866) 468-3399. Running time: 2 hours, 20 minutes.