Craig Wright's The Pavilion could have been a wonderful play; it offers a poignant examination of the damage that human beings can do to each other and of the potential for forgiveness and redemption. The problem with the piece resides in the use of an omniscient narrator, a device that feels both pretentious and unnecessary.

That thankless role is played by Stephen Bogardus, who often comes across as if he's doing the voice-over for an episode of the PBS series Nova. Given that the first words of the play are "This is the way the universe begins," his interpretation is perhaps understandable, though still unjustified. Blame must also be laid at the feet of Lucie Tiberghien, who has directe[...]