LANSING, Mich. – What if the life we have is the life we agreed to before we were born? Whether our task is great or small, easy or difficult, small in its effect or influencing millions—what if it is all part of a contract we have with the gods?

OG Ueberroth explores this concept in her new play, The Amazing Jesus, which Ixion premiered this past weekend as the first in their season of all new works. Directed by Jeff Croff, it is a play heavy in magical realism and replete with Hispanic culture, symbolism and setting.

The story takes place on the day of a Hispanic festival in a place between the world of the living and the dead. Leticia, played by Lauren Ezzo, has come to demand answers from the magician, Jesus, played by Ian Henretty. She wants to know why he doesn’t use more of his magic to help people and why people have to suffer the way they do. She’s planning to demand a new contract, one in which she can help people and take back some of the magic of the spirit world to the real world where people need it.

It’s a story that is narrated by Angela Dill’s Moon and Charlsie Cole’s La Llorona, a figure out of Hispanic mythology who is always weeping for the children she has drowned.

Much of the first act is taken up with a discussion between Leticia and her Tia Nacha, played by Susan Chmurynsky. They have a comfortable chemistry, but were slow on picking up cues. There were times in the first act where either lines were forgotten or the script or direction left them dangling. The pauses were uncomfortable and dialog was unnecessarily repeated.

While there was a strong setup with the exchange between Henretty and Heath Sartorius’ Tio Bocho, things slowed too far down in the first act. The exchange between Tia Nacha and Leticia lasted way too long and could have been more effective had it been tightened up. Too many unnecessary ideas were introduced that were not followed up upon. It made for too long of a period with no action and felt like a lesson in philosophy.

However, things picked up in the second act, which played with high energy and intense theatricality. It was in the second act that all six characters began to interact and the sleepiness of the first half was left behind. The stakes were high with questions of the universe being asked and our purpose in life being explored with quick interchanges.

Dill kicked things off in both acts and did a lovely job of capturing the two different energies of the act. She was aided by Katy Kettles’ costumes—with two very different looks in both acts. She expressed well the symbolism of her role, and in both instances drew the audience into the story.

Ezzo played well the part of persistent questioner. Croff frequently had her staked out in center stage and she filled that spot well with a commanding presence. She projected well and presented the show’s themes articulately.

Chmurynsky handled the Hispanic accent well and fulfilled well the archetype of the influential Tia who is filled with old-fashioned wisdom and tradition. She did seem to stumble in the first act and was slow in her pacing.

Henretty presented a fascinating role in the part of Jesus. A powerful magician who is somewhat lazy and not prone to engaging in the deep philosophical questions of those he helps, Henretty had great physicality for the role, communicating much about the character in the way he moved and the way he talked. His was a fascinating character, playing the title role even though the story belonged more to Leticia.

Croff made the most of the small stage at the Robin Theater, creating constantly moving stage pictures that tried to make up for the long stretches of dialog in which not much was happening in the script. He kept his actors busy creating imagery that furthered the story.

One of the delights of the second act was the makeup by Sadonna Croff. Each character wore Day of the Dead style makeup—sugar skulls that were all white with dark eyes and intricate designs. These were all applied during the 15-minute intermission along with costume changes that took the play from the recognizable to the fantastical.

Ueberroth uses Hispanic motifs, folklore and traditions to tell a story with The Amazing Jesus that is ultimately universal in the questions that it asks about our purpose in life and death. The script’s first act runs too long, but the second act makes up for it in energy, precision and a large dollop of magic that is both theatrical and cultural. She raises interesting questions and presents several possibilities for answers to those questions.

Click here for show days, times and details.