An Intriguing Portrait ofa Religious Reformer

Roger Nelson has performed “The Man From Aldersgate,” Brad L. Smith’s one-man show about the life of John Wesley, in 31 countries and all 50 states.

In his latest outing at the Playhouse Balcony Theatre, just upstairs from the courtyard of the Pasadena Playhouse, Nelson proves that the familiarity of 1,200-plus performances has not bred contempt. If anything, his portrayal is highly respectful, almost reverential in tone.

So is Smith’s play, to a fault. The man who inspired the new Christian sect of Methodism in 1700s England, Wesley was an ardent religious reformer whose open-air sermons attracted legions of adherents while scandalizing the hierarchy of the established Church of England. Smith’s biography, which was largely inspired by Wesley’s writings, fails to fully capture the turbulent climate of the times or the social discontent that gave rise to Wesley’s faction. Nor does it address the circumstances of Wesley’s failed marriage. Curiously selective in content, “Aldersgate” ultimately comes across as a mild Christian polemic that is more concerned with Wesley’s inspirational sermonizing than the historical sweep of his life.

Nelson is an affable performer, although certain pacing problems suggest he has not recently enjoyed the benefit of an objective directorial eye. At the beginning of the play, Nelson strolls onstage and putters aimlessly for some considerable time before finally addressing the audience. During the course of the action, he often stops speaking altogether while he fusses with props. Rather than the slice-of-life folksiness that was surely intended, what results is dead air.

Fortunately, those lapses are infrequent. For the most part, “The Man from Aldersgate” is an intriguing if not fully realized portrait of an extraordinary man.

“The Man from Aldersgate,” Playhouse Balcony Theatre, 39 S. El Molino Ave., Pasadena. Thursdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m. Ends Aug. 12. $30. (626) 457-5201. Running time: 1 hour, 40 minutes.