ECLECTIC, TUNEFUL PRODUCTION’S A REAL FIND

By FRANK SCHECK
THEATER REVIEW

June 29, 2007 -- THE acclaimed downtown theater troupe the Civilians demonstrates its unique melding of documentary and experimental theater with "Gone Missing," a meditation on all things lost and found that makes up for its occasional lapses with lots of sly humor.

Based on interviews conducted by company members, it boasts an eclectic and tuneful score by Obie winner Michael Friedman, whose music can also be heard in the Public Theater's "Romeo and Juliet" in Central Park.

The six-member cast, clad in identical bland gray suits, delivers a series of songs and monologues relating either directly or tangentially to things that have been lost, from a black Gucci pump to the mythical city of Atlantis to one's mind.

The staging is decidedly stylized, with the performers frequently engaging in choreography reminiscent of an old Devo video.

If it sounds a bit precious, well, it occasionally is. But the breeziness of the proceedings and the unexpected emotional force generated by many of the segments more than compensate.

I found myself rather perversely looking forward to the recurring appearances by Stephen Plunkett as a cop who describes in hilariously gory detail the corpses he encounters at work.

Other memorable moments are provided by Colleen Werthmann, as a mother describing the loss of her child's sock doll, and Emily Ackerman, as a psychic who specializes in finding lost pets.

The piece was conceived after the events of 9/11, which is reflected in the haunting final image that follows a historian's account of the calamitous collapse of a banquet hall in ancient Greece.