‘Wright’ Is Haunted by Many Demons

Near the end of “Wright From America” at the Fountain Theatre in Hollywood, viewers suddenly learn that the show is being narrated not by novelist Richard Wright, as they had been led to believe, but rather by his ghost.

The twist makes a fitting metaphor, because Willard Simms’ nearly incoherent play is certainly dead onstage. The African American writer is played by Wilson Bell, whose thankless job consists of jerking the audience through a haphazard tour of Wright’s life, including his unhappy Southern childhood, teenage encounters with racism and eventual emigration to Paris.

Much of this material was covered with far more power and style in Wright’s unforgettable memoir “Black Boy.” But what renders Simms’ effort wholly superfluous is its inability to build any dramatic momentum. Rather than dramatize one or two key events, the show dashes back and forth, madly tossing this or that underdeveloped flashback. (Darline Anne Harris and Elias Stimac provide support as various characters.)

John Crowther’s staging is not much help. Shown giving a speech in Paris, Bell’s Wright is blocked for long periods with his back to the viewer. The effect does instill a sense of alienation, though probably not in the way the creators intended.

* “Wright From America,” Fountain Theatre, 5060 Fountain Ave., Hollywood. Mondays-Wednesdays, 8 p.m. Ends May 22. $15. (213) 663-1525. Running time: 1 hour, 10 minutes.