Revamped ‘Dybbuk’ Shows Style but Loses Impact

In an age of license and indiscretion, the sacred properties of words--whether written or spoken--are sometimes forgotten.

Consider the kabbala, that mystic collection of Jewish oral tradition viewed as a doorway to knowledge--and dangerous power. Only the great tsaddiks (holy men) were considered strong enough to withstand such mysteries.

In his one notable play “The Dybbuk,” written in 1913, S. Ansky (a pseudonym for Jewish ethnologist and folklorist Salomon Rappoport) examines the misfortunes that arise when a poor Jewish scholar, separated from his predestined bride, delves into this forbidden lore. Cast into outer darkness, the damned soul finds refuge in the pure body of his intended.

Set in eastern Poland in the mid-1880s, Ansky’s fascinating but melodramatic chestnut, steeped in the rich folk beliefs of the Central European Hasidim, has been “reconceived” by Charlie Stratton and his collaborators at the Wilton Project. (The three credited adapters--Robert Fieldsteel, Jennifer Maisel and April Vanoff--worked closely with Stratton during the writing process.)

In this case, it may be that too many cooks spoiled the tsimmes. Occasionally torpid and confused, this production lacks streamlined simplicity.

Don’t be mistaken. Stratton’s “Dybbuk” is beautifully composed, with moments of pristine lucidity--even brilliance. A large, able cast effortlessly glides through the production’s logistical complexities, delivering polished performances. John Michael Morgan and Jennifer Leigh Warren play the doomed lovers with passionate constraint; J.D. Cullum, David Doty and Steve Ruggles delight as a trio of argumentative beggars; and William Bassett lends a biblical authority to the holy but weary rabbi who must battle the demon.

Elina Katsioula’s production design, which incorporates massive wood sets with shadowy scrims, bespeaks both the solidity of ancestral ritual and the arcane phenomena of the unseen world. Carlo Schillaci’s period costumes are impressively simple and authentic. Rand Ryan’s mellow lamp lighting is both eerie and evocative (although keeping characters in darkness at key moments, though metaphorically well-intended, is just too eccentric to work). Composer O-Lan Jones’ recitative musical interludes, while capturing the flavor of Eastern European shtetl life, are more interstitial than integral.

Excellent production values, imaginative direction and solid performances hold our attention throughout--but the supernatural elements are tame. This is a ghost story after all, and we should also feel the hairs rising on our necks at regular intervals. Truly, the plight of the demon lover is pitiable, but by presenting him in such an unvaryingly sympathetic light, this production loses much of its horrific oomph.

* “The Dybbuk,” Gascon Center Theatre, 8737 Washington Blvd., Culver City. Thurs.-Sun., 8 p.m. Ends Nov. 24. $20. (213) 931-6599. Running time: 2 hours, 40 minutes.