Lyrical ‘Aquitania’ Works Wonders

Awork of haunting visual beauty and mythological resonance, “Aquitania” at the Gascon Center Theatre continues author-director Stephen Legewiec’s inventive synthesis of stage, dance, and song in a whimsical fable that plays off the archetypal heroic quest.

With stylistic and thematic nods to such eclectic sources of inspiration as Lewis Carroll and the surrealist painter Rene Magritte, this new production from Legewiec’s Ziggurat Theatre Company transforms the Gascon Center Theatre into a playground of the unconscious. An arcing backdrop painted like Magritte’s cloud-dappled, bright blue skies, game-board floor tiling on which the characters can move as pieces, and incidental antique furnishings set the stage for exploring, as one character puts it, “the secret part of life that can’t be explained.”

That mission should be taken to heart--let the music and visuals work their magic without undue analysis. You’ll miss the point if you try to parse a logical plot out of the exploits of the reluctant heroine, punfully-named Marguerite (Kiersten Van Horne), a librarian transported--”Alice”-like--back in time to the 9th century reign of Charlemagne. There, she must free the imaginary kingdom of Aquitania from the delightfully evil despot, Gano (Frederick Stone, whimsically costumed as one of Magritte’s bland, bowler-hatted businessmen).

Magic spells, mystic rituals and plot reversals abound as Marguerite and her allies (Dean Purvis, Sharon McMahon, Colleen Kane) attempt to save the day. Naila Azad plays the disruptive witch, abetted by a trio of copper-haired chanteuses. A subplot involving a little girl (Britney Anne Tuba, Morgan Luci) and her tutor (Michael Klock) frames the action as a game, complete with one of those “undo” maneuvers we all wish we had in real life.

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* “Aquitania,” Gascon Center Theatre, 8737 Washington Blvd., Culver City. Fridays, Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 7 p.m. Ends June 17. $15-20 (May 27 pay what you can). (310) 495-0252. Running time: 1 hour, 50 minutes.