Review: Annex’s Duel of the Linguist Mages is a word nerd treat.

Review: Duel of the Linguist Mages written and directed by Scotto Moore. With James Weidman, Sara Mountjoy-Pepka, Jen Moon, Curtis Eastwood, Beth Peterson and Raymond Williams. Now through February 13 at Annex Theatre.

Sara Mountjoy-Pepka, (Note: they dumped the awful wig for the performances) and James Weidman (photo by Ian Johnston)

You have to hand it to the Annex Theatre. They don’t shy away from tackling complicated, science fiction and fantasy themed theater pieces. (Not to mention international crime capers, superheroes and villainous nuns…) There doesn’t seem to be a genre they’re not afraid to tackle, (though I’m still waiting for their productions of Dances with Wolves and The Guns of Navarone) and I’m given them some cudgels for staging shows that overly ape cinematic formats but I always admire the gusto in which they mount their productions. But, I’m happy to report that their latest work, Scotto Moore’s Duel of the Linguist Mages is a nicely crafted PLAY with a clever theatrical format, witty dialogue, a topical premise and it’s smartly directed, designed and acted. It’s not perfect; Act 2 doesn’t live up to the promise of Act 1 and a couple of the characters and performances weren’t fully realized, but it was a crowd pleasing night of theater. Word of mouth from the sold out audiences at the opening weekend performances probably guarantee that “Mages” will be a tough ticket to book if you wait too long. It’s a hit and deservedly so.

It’s also a bit tough to describe the plot of “Mages” but I’ll try. Nate Wells is a computer programmer who has shown up for a job interview with the mysterious corporation run by Bradford Jenning. The company is working on a project to “hack the very structure of language at a deeper level than ever before. The discovery of “power morphemes” – tiny particles of meaning that mean much more than they should – turns out to be unexpectedly dangerous, and shockingly easy to weaponize.” Along the way, Nate is smitten by a comely but mysteriously sleepy research assistant named Maddy, and finds himself in the crossfire between the owner of the company, the enigmatic Jennings, and the firm’s no nonsense top researcher Olivia Regan as they fight for control of the company, the use of the deadly “power morphemes” and ultimately, the fate of the world. Eventually, a despotic politician and a sad sack human guinea pig also in love with Maddy become entangled in the plot as Nate discovers the secrets of power morphemes and who, (or, what) is ultimately behind the Final Plan to enslave the world. Hint: It involves typography.

The first act of the play is very cleverly constructed with the main character, Nate, stopping and starting the action and even rewinding and fast forwarding to reiterate particular moments of importance. The dialogue is sharp and snappy and the entire premise of the piece is original and highly charming and smart…something that has become increasingly rare in the world of theater. You don’t have to be professional linguist to “get” this play, but some understanding and love for words and their meaning certainly helps. New York Times crossword puzzle junkies should get a particular kick out of “Mages”…also, copy editors, typographers and other word nerds. But, the average Fan Boy/Girl who enjoys a sci-fi adventure romp will also have a good time, especially in the second act which is considerably sillier and more comic book oriented than Act One. I enjoyed it less, and thought it didn’t live up to the first act but the rest of the audience seemed to enjoy it immensely. The weaker characters of Act One took over the second act, and I didn’t enjoy the plot assigned to the main character Nate. For me, it was a bit of let down but only because the first act was so well done.

The highlight, acting wise, was the bright, comically dry performance of James Weidman as the hero Nate. I don’t think I’ve encountered Mr Weidman in another production prior to this one, but I wish I had. He’s a good actor with excellent comic timing and makes an appealing and charismatic leading man. He’s also well matched with Sara Mountjoy-Pepka as the ingenue Maddy. She’s cute, funny and well-matched with Mr Weidman…both actors are on the same wave length and their romantic banter is charming and well-performed. (I’m also thrilled that they removed the horrid red fright wig Ms Mountjoy-Pepka wears in the poster and the promotional photos. It was far too cartoony of a device and not attractive.)

I also enjoyed Jen Moon as the mysterious researcher Olivia. Her chilly performance was a highlight of Act One and her reduced visibility in Act Two hurt the play. Ms Moon did a fine job of playing a possibly villainous character, but giving her enough balance and ambiguity to make the character interesting and believable. I was less impressed with the maniacal governor played by Beth Peterson. The character was too one dimensional and while Ms Peterson was quite funny at times in Act Two, the performance was also a little bit one note. Raymond Williams seemed a bit bland as the guinea pig guy in love with Maddy in Act One, but his character had more to do in Act Two and Mr Williams did a fine job playing the more subtle aspects of the love lorn character.

Finally, a word about Curtis Eastwood cast here as the company owner Bradford Jenning. He’s apparently an institution at the Annex Theater and appears in many of their productions and he always seems to play the same part: An Assh*le in a Suit. Sometimes, he is a BIG Assh*le and sometimes he is only a little bit of an Assh*le, like in “Mages” but he’s always in a cheap suit and he’s always some sort of Assh*le.  I like Curtis Eastwood. I think he’s an appealing and interesting actor with lots of charisma. I think he does a fine job of acting in this play. Let me make clear, I do NOT think Mr Eastwood is an assh*le. I bet he is a super nice guy in real life. I bet he calls his Grandma once a week and is a faithful recycler.  But, I also think I don’t need to see him cast as an “Assh*le in a Suit” for a very long time. Typecasting is awful and we need to start thinking outside the casting box. How about a “Super Nice Guy in a Skort”? Or, a “Jerk in a Tutu”? Maybe, “Ambiguously Conflicted Guy in Lederhosen”? (How about a leading man role for a change?) Just no more Assh*les in Suits…at least, for awhile. Unless it’s Glengarry Glen Ross. I’ll make an exception for Mamet.

Oh, and a quick shout out to another fine set…the Annex folks are whizzes at doing small, meticulously constructed sets on a budget. Kudos to designer Maridee Slater. AND, more kudos to Sound Designer Christopher Overstreet and to Kevin Nortness for the effective music. The usual stellar work from the designers and crew at The Annex.

Who’s this for? Smarty pants word nerds and sci fi comic book fan boyz/girlz. You know…the average Capitol Hill theater fan.