Stuck in a ‘Cell’ at Mo’olelo Performing Arts Company

There’s a robust, gut-wrenching play in there; maybe more than one. What this “Cell” need is mitosis (and a ruthless rewrite).

At Mo’olelo Performing Arts Company, new artistic director Lydia Fort wrestles with this unwieldy premiere in her local directorial debut.

It all begins well enough, with naturalistic (if choppy) short-scene sequences, introducing the characters and the workplace. This first act lasts only 30 minutes. Perhaps its repetitive dialogue represents the mind-numbing monotony of the job. Perhaps not.

Then the hour-long second act begins, much less on-the-nose thematically. It takes some weird turns, including into the minds of characters, with an enigmatic, extreme-closeup portrait repeatedly projected overhead. All hell breaks loose at work — and in the family. The resolutions happen at breakneck speed, crashing into each other near the end, going so fast we miss the details of some crucial elements (like the insurance/liability/legality particulars).

Speed is an issue throughout. The short, jerky scenes interrupt the flow of the unfolding story, and rapid speaking rates, coupled with the cavernous ceilings in the 10th Avenue space, swallow many lines.

Part of the problem is the neck-snapping tonal shift from the first act to the second. Medley originally wrote the piece as a one-act, leaving the characters’ life-choices up in the air. Then she decided to tack on another act, but the two don’t quite mesh.

Still, Fort has marshaled an excellent cast, centered by the amazing Thompson, whose character, Rene, takes the most significant emotional journey of the four (both Gwen and Leon are under-written), though each walks through some level of fire and self-awareness.

Gaffney is highly effective as the one who starts and ends desperate, trying to please everyone and winding up with next to nothing. Sephus and Agosto display strong acting in their crises of conscience.

The movable set (David F. Weiner) is simple but serviceable. The lighting (Jeanette Oi-Suk Yew) and costumes (Anna Marie S. Phillips) enhance the harsh locales.

The play leaves us feeling completely wrung out at the end, but not necessarily for the intended reasons.