FERNDALE, Mich.–While press materials say that Slipsteam is “lightening up a bit just in time for spring,” this  production of August Strindberg’s Easter actually has a dark side, as the characters struggle with their inner demons.

Ellis (Ryan Ernst) is the reluctant patriarch of the family, reluctantly forced to return to his hometown after his father is sent to prison. As if the scandal of an imprisonment isn’t enough to deal with, the family also faces financial ruin. Ellis is obsessed with observing, through his window, the movement of neighbor Lindkvist (David Schoen), the “Giant,” who could come anytime and take away everything they own to pay an old debt. Schoen has a larger-than-life presence onstage and captures the magnitude of the “Giant,” giving the production a much-needed lift.

The lead character’s ambivalence prompts his fiancée, Kristine (Luna Alexander), to counsel him on how to best manage the lot in life he has been dealt, but he is reluctant to listen.

At the same time Ellis is wringing hands over the family’s misfortune, his sister, Eleanora (played by newcomer Lauren Alo), returns home from the “asylum” where she was sent shortly after her father’s imprisonment. She quickly befriends Benjamin (Miles Bond), an orphan the family has taken in in large part to offset the guilt and shame they feel over the father’s crime.

The characters are intended to remind us of ourselves and of Biblical figures. However, the original play, a symbolic religious drama from 1901 by Swedish playwright August Strindberg, has been adapted to tone down some of the overt religious themes.

Ellis and Eleanora’s mother, Mrs. Heyst (Jan Cartwright), seems to live in a parallel universe, ruled by denial and delusion. Perhaps the denial is a coping mechanism that enables her to deal with the reality of her imprisoned husband and mentally ill daughter. After Schoen, Cartwright seems to bring the most energy to the stage.

Performances by the other players, particulary Bond, seem a little forced. The production is directed by Bailey Boudreau, who also oversees costume design. Lead actor Ernst also oversees technical design and execution. The play, which is 85 minutes with no intermission, drags a bit at times. With Ellis ruminating over the same problems, it’s actually a relief when Lindkvist finally shows up for the confrontation, bringing all of Ellis’ fears to a head.

The characters seem obsessed with the repeating theme “pride goeth before a fall” when in reality, an actual fall couldn’t be anywhere near as bad as what they imagine.

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