A Story Beyond: a musical fable. Liars and Believers, Plaza Black Box Theatre, Boston Center for the Arts, through December 22. bostontheatrescene or 617-933-8600, Pay what you can. Recommended for ages 7 and up.
Jason Slavick, artistic director for the local troupe Liars and Believers, has been collaborating with his company for two years on an experimental piece about improving and fixing the world (the modern understanding of the Jewish activist concept 'Tikkun Olam').
This collaboration-conceived and lead written by Slavick, combines storytelling, an original score, masks and puppetry. The result at the Boston Center for the Arts is "A Story Beyond: a musical fable," a lively, spirited and well-performed 70-minute premiere directed by Slavick himself that could nevertheless do with some tweaking.
To stage the focal conflict between forces of light and darkness, Slavick and company have embraced the form of fable to center on the quest of a fictional young girl named Maya to repair the universe. "A Story Beyond" is definitely not a conventional narrative.
Socially conscious heroine Maya means to save her village from an ominous dark cloud and ever worsening weather. Could that cloud be a metaphor for pollution and greenhouse gases? Could severely changing weather—in spite of the optimism of the mayor—be a subtle reference to the effects of climate change?
The eventual appearance of lead on an arm of Maya's grandmother and even on her entire face suggests the kind of dangerous effects of lead in the water of Americans in such real cities as Flint, Michigan.
Throughout the story, the sun and the cloud seem to become clear respective symbols of human beings that respect nature and respect the world they live in on the one hand and those people who either make the situation worse or do nothing to fix it on the other.
Along the way, Slavick and his troupe enrich the fable with such iconic images as a storyteller whose narratives keep her alive (Scheherazade and the Tales of the Arabian Nights come to mind) and the Firebird (think of Russian folklore).
Some adults and certainly many children may find the entrance of a narrative about a princess named Vasilisa Visilyeva a bit confusing, but the production's projected text should help. Still, there are humorous details—such as a vegan bear who loves nuts—that should sweeten their experience.
A sometimes overly busy text notwithstanding, "A Story Beyond" possesses many assets common to gifted counterpart troupe Imaginary Beasts—among them strong ensemble work and appealing inventiveness.
Look for high energy, great agility and sharply phrased text and vocals from talented quartet Rachel Wiese, Jesse Garlick, Rosie McInnes and Aislinn Brophy. Jeff Butcher on mandolin and Bri Tagliaferro on cello do full justice to composer Nathan Leigh's evocative score. High marks also go to scenic designer Rebecca Lehrhoff for a vivid troubadours' traveling wagon, Kendra Bell's period costumes and especially Faye Dupras' distinctive puppetry design and PJ Strachman's smarty modulated lighting.
Honing needs aside, Liars and Believers is a worthy troupe and "A Step Beyond" a timely exploration.