Stage Review

THE TOTALITARIANS

By Peter Sinn Nachtrieb.

Directed by Jeff Zinn. Presented by Gloucester Stage Company, Gloucester, through Sept. 24. Tickets: $28-$39, 978-281-4433, www.gloucesterstage.com

GLOUCESTER — When an utterly unqualified Nebraska politician meets an ambitious campaign manager, the comic potential seems limitless. But playwright Peter Sinn Nachtrieb (“Hunter Gatherers’’) isn’t satisfied with this ripped-from-the-headlines premise. He adds to this mix a conspiracy theorist and his well-meaning doctor, who also happens to be the campaign manager’s husband.

These extra layers of complexity might work, but Nachtrieb just can’t figure out how to juggle them all. We find ourselves bouncing from campaign manager Francine’s increasingly maniacal approach to running the operation, to her candidate’s nutty delivery of nonsensical speeches. Then we ricochet to Francine’s hapless husband, Jeffrey, who joins his patient Ben to create video diatribes protesting Penny, a candidate Ben is convinced will turn Nebraska into a totalitarian state. A little spice is added with some sexual tension between the boys, and also between the girls.

Still with me?

Wrangling this quartet of crazies is not easy, but at the Gloucester Stage Company production running through Sept. 24, director Jeff Zinn smartly gives Breean Julian, as Penny the political candidate, all the room she needs. Penny may be out to lunch, but the inspired lunacy with which Julian spews Penny’s speeches is hilarious and unnerving. Although Penny is supposed to be the dim-witted candidate, a former roller derby queen whose only attribute is “great hair,’’ Julian fuels her with a cunning determination to win, despite some pesky distractions.

As Francine, Amanda Collins has the thankless role of the frustrated political operative who feels she’s been reduced to helping unqualified people attain power. Nachtrieb never lets us know what’s really driving Francine. In the play’s opening scene, Francine is writhing about in her underwear, nearly hysterical over her inability to find the right slogan for her candidate. But when you start with the dial at 10, there’s really nowhere to go.

Nachtrieb focuses most of his attention on Penny and Francine, leaving Ben (Alex Portenko) and Jeffrey (Lewis D. Wheeler) as mere afterthoughts. Ben, a terminally ill cancer patient, delivers Internet manifestos that ring as hollow as Francine’s jargon-filled speeches. Wheeler, for his part, gamely tries to infuse Jeffrey with a bit of sanity and calm, but Nachtrieb’s script doesn’t give him much support.

Somewhere within “The Totalitarians’’ is an indictment of our fractured political system, with its attention to superficial slogans to distract us from real issues. But rather than focus on the people who are manipulating the system, Nachtrieb never gets past sound bites. Julian’s delivery of Penny’s pivotal speech is definitely the highlight of the evening, but one speech is not enough to make a satisfying screwball comedy. Although secrets and shenanigans are ultimately revealed, the play’s final scene feels as empty as the slogans Penny spouts.

Director Zinn enlists award-winning designer Cristina Todesco to create a fascinating backdrop of doors that open in delightfully unexpected ways, and John R. Malinowski’s lighting reflects the appropriate ambience for the various locations, but Zinn’s best efforts can’t untangle the muddled motives of Nachtrieb’s play.

THE TOTALITARIANS

By Peter Sinn Nachtrieb. Directed by Jeff Zinn. Presented by Gloucester Stage Company, Gloucester, through Sept. 24. Tickets: $28-$39, 978-281-4433, www.gloucesterstage.com

Terry Byrne can be reached at trbyrne@aol.com.