Genre: Comedy-Drama
Written by: Stewart Lemoine
Directed by: Stewart Lemoine
Performed by: Leona Brausen, Jeff Haslam, Davina Stewart
Running time: 85 minutes
Web site: varsconatheatre.com

"Pith and practicality don't necessarily preclude a life of adventure," says Jack Vail, the swarthy showman at the center of Pith! While he's foreshadowing the imminent expedition to the South American jungle that he convinces a mournful widow and her housekeeper to embark on, he could also be speaking about this brilliant production by Canada's acclaimed Teatro La Quindicina. With nothing more than a few chairs, an old-fashioned Victrola and their immense talent, Jeff Haslam, Davina Stewart and Leona Brausen conjure detailed worlds out of the darkness. From Providence society, where the action begins, to rough-and-tumble New Orleans, where Stewart's widow finds a map showing where her late husband went missing on a mining trip, to a ship crossing the Panama Canal, to, finally, the rain forest itself, every scene is highly entertaining and fully realized. You can even hear the exotic birds sing at the end thanks to the amazingly versatile Haslam who, in addition to playing Vail, impersonates them as well as various other characters the two women encounter on their journey.—Sean Kennedy

• Where: The Connelly Theater
• When: Fri, Aug 13 at 6:30 p.m.; Thu, Aug 19 at 11:30 p.m.; Sun, Aug 22 at 7:45 p.m.; Wed, Aug 25 at 3 p.m.; Fri, Aug 27 at 7:45 p.m.; Sun, Aug 29 at 4:45 p.m.