As its name suggests, “Scorched” is a searing, emotional drama that burns with devastating intensity.

The play opened Oct. 23 at Syracuse Stage and runs through Nov. 10. The production, which explores the effect of a mother’s war-torn past as her children discover her mysterious history, is directed by Marcela Lorca who is returning to the Syracuse Stage after directing “Caroline, or Change” in 2012.

The storyline follows twins Janine and Simon as they carry out a series of strange instructions from their late mother’s will. Through it, they are told to deliver letters to their father and older brother, whom they have never met and know little about.

Though they are initially angry with Nawal, their mother, for leaving them with a cryptic mission, the twins eventually become committed to completing it as they learn more about her past. Eventually the search takes them to the Middle East, where they confront the truth of their mother’s life and their own family history.

Actors Soraya Broukhim and Dorien Makhloghi brought Janine and Simon to life. The pair successfully conveyed the siblings’ changing relationship during their journey and stood strong together at the play’s end. Kenya Brome was another standout in the cast, playing the role of Sawda, the loyal friend of the twins’ mother. Brome’s character sang throughout the play, and her deep, rich voice underscored the action with a haunting drama.

Playwright Wajdi Mouawad set the story in an unnamed Middle Eastern country. By excluding historical and geographic specifics, he allows the audience to focus on the story’s human elements. But savvy audience members may deduce that “Scorched” is based on the Lebanese Civil War, a conflict that began in 1975 and lasted 15 years.

Despite intentionally leaving the story’s exact location unspecified, Mouawad has acknowledged that he based much of play on the conflict that tore his home country apart. He based the character of Nawal on a real-life Lebanese nationalist named Souha Bechara, who spent a decade in prison after a failed attempt to kill a general of the South Lebanese Army.

The scenes constantly moved between space and time, telling the story of the twins and the history of their mother in tandem. Because of that, versatile scenery was a necessity. To accommodate this need, scenic designer John Arnone created an exquisitely flexible mix of walls on wheels, mismatched chairs and panels of sheer fabric.

A series of animations were projected onto the panels that distinguished locations and actions. In one instance, a mathematical diagram drawn by Janine transformed into a moving dotted line that indicated travel and transition.

At times, though, directorial choices over-enhanced the already intense story and pushed the performance into the realm of melodrama.

Both acts opened with brief, physical pieces in which actors used abstract movements to convey the play’s energy and gut-wrenching emotion. The pieces demonstrated the cast’s versatility as performers, but ultimately were unnecessary and overdramatic.

In addition, Mouawad’s style of writing placed much of the emotional development in extended monologues. These passages were poetic and beautifully written, but often delivered in a way that deadened their power. Stationary actors ploughed through them hardly taking a moment to breathe, making the emotion of the lines feel forced.

Overall, a less heavy-handed approach to direction by Lorca would have allowed the story’s significance to come across more clearly. That is not to say, though, that this does not come through at all. Despite the production’s shortcomings, audiences will leave feeling thrilled and thoughtful.

A climactic revelation toward the end of the play ties the story together both in terms of plot and emotional development. In the end, “Scorched” is a story about love and forgiveness as well as finding the strength to move beyond tragedy. For that reason, the production largely overcame its weaknesses and provided a hauntingly beautiful experience that audiences will not soon forget.

Published on October 28, 2013 at 12:37 am

Contact Ian: insimonc@syr.edu