Brown’s Mr. Burns Is a Misfire

Mr. Burns – A Post-Electric Play begins with an intriguing premise – the survivors of a nuclear apocalypse gather together and reminisce about a classic episode of “The Simpsons” — and then proceeds to do nothing with it.

The story then jumps ahead 7 years, when the group attempts to recreate that very same episode of “The Simpsons,” the one with the homicidal clown Sideshow Bob. Act 2 concludes with an extended musical medley of hit pop songs from the last decade.

Seventy-five years later, the band of survivors has transformed into the Simpsons characters: Homer, Bart, Marge, Lisa, Edna Krabappel, and of course, the evil Mr. Burns.

If writer Anne Washburn had really explored the need of these characters to escape the horror around them by escaping into the fantasy world of a beloved television comedy, then Mr. Burns could have been something special. Instead, the story goes off the rails in the second act and never recovers. It’s just a disjointed mess.

That’s unfortunate, because there are a talented and engaging group of performers here. Jesse Weil plays Gibson and Bart Simpson. Weil is quite effective in a scene when Gibson has a mental breakdown. He also is a fine singer, as is Evan Silver, who plays Mr. Burns. I also liked Hiromi Komorita as Maria and Jenna Chapman as Jenny. They have an effortless charm and are obviously having a great time in these roles. Ben Hayslett-Ubell is a lot of fun to watch as he skillfully mimics Homer Simpson.

Director Connie Crawford stages all this with style and tremendous energy, yet in the end the material is so unfocused and confused, we wonder why anyone bothered.

Mr. Burns – A Post-Electric Play runs through April 18. Leeds Theatre, Brown University. For tickets, call 401-863-2838. Brown.edu/theatre.