O.C. THEATER / MARK CHALON SMITH : When Is an Alien Not an Alien?

So, what is a lost Formican anyway?

Alien or human? Maybe a little of both? Even Carole Cooney, who directs a slew of them in the Way Off Broadway Playhouse’s “Tales of the Lost Formicans,” isn’t quite sure.

“I was confused going in, and I guess I’m still a little confused,” Cooney said candidly with a sigh during a recent interview. “Boy, this is a very unusual play.”

Figures. Way Off, a tiny basement theater near the railroad tracks in an obscure business zone, has made a local reputation staging the unusual. This time around, playhouse founder Tony Reverditto has settled on Constance Congdon’s odd tale about extraterrestrials--at least what appear to be extraterrestrials--living in Colorado and having a helluva time dealing with Earth, ‘80s style.

Faced with a weird new world they don’t grok, the aliens set about interpreting what’s around them. They name things (chairs become situpons) and show how baffled they really are (cars are described as “wheeled sarcophagi used to carry spirits to the next world”). They also study that “loosely structured” unit called a family, which is at the off-center of “Tales of the Lost Formicans.”

In particular, they’re interested in a young mother and her Earthly problems, including a philandering husband, a father who’s dying of Alzheimer’s, and a rebellious teen-age son. As “Tales of the Lost Formicans” is written, the actors playing the family also double as the aliens, and, at times, the family seems to become as much like the aliens as the aliens themselves.

Say what?

“Well, to be honest, there were a lot of things that threw me,” Cooney said. “I was fascinated by the play and enjoyed it, but so much of the symbolism seemed unexplained . . . . I kept trying to understand what was and what wasn’t. I needed some help.”

Cooney, who has acted in and directed previous Way Off productions, turned to the source: Congdon herself.

After writing the playwright’s publisher, Cooney received Congdon’s responses to several questions. As for the issue of what’s an alien and what isn’t, Congdon admonished the director for being too literal.

“Being alien is a metaphor for alienation,” Congdon wrote. “The aliens are just humans who have forgotten their past and how it felt to be human . . . the play is a very human story.”

Well, who can blame Cooney if she points out that that doesn’t exactly blow away the haze? But Cooney decided to accept Congdon’s overall assertion that “Tales of the Lost Formicans” is basically a symbolic piece meant to be interpreted in different ways.

“I think our job is to present the play as best we can and then let the audience come to its own conclusion,” Cooney said. “I’ve tried to make it as clear as possible, and I’m just keeping my fingers crossed.”

Besides, she believes that despite the vague plot turns and obvious equivocations, “Tales of the Lost Formicans” does offer insights into contemporary society, especially in regard to so-called “family values,” our educational system, sex in the ‘90s, and the nature of terminal illness.

“Personally, I would like to see a bit more clarity and a few more bridges between points, but all in all, this is a very intriguing and valuable play.”

Many critics have liked it too, but have shared Cooney’s reservations. In reviewing a 1990 production at the Apple Corps Theater in New York, a New York Times critic enjoyed the “odd and fitfully amusing observations” but noted how “unfocused” it is.

Back in 1989, when it was staged at the Matrix Theatre in West Hollywood, a Los Angeles Times critic admired its thoughtfulness but noted that the play is constructed “in bits and pieces.” Of Congdon’s approach, the Los Angeles Times critic wrote: “She is not sure what has gone wrong in the ‘80s. All she knows is that everything is coming apart, starting with the family. How to convey this? Go with the flow . . .”

Going with the flow is pretty much Cooney’s mantra when it comes to her staging. “At some point, you have to put your faith in what the playwright has written,” she explained.

Uh-huh. And any final words on what “Tales of the Lost Formicans” is really about, now that the production is well underway?

Cooney paused, then said: “How about this? I say it’s the American dream--all the family, social, economic and political experiences of that dream--as seen through the eyes of aliens, and noting that we are the aliens.

“Wow! Does that make sense? I hope so. . .”

The Way Off Broadway Playhouse production of Constance Congdon’s “Tales of the Lost Formicans” plays Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. through Nov. 7, with a 2 p.m. matinee on closing day. At 1058 E. 1st St., Santa Ana. $12.50 and $15. (714) 547-8997.