In Walnut Creek, ‘Froggy’ Finds Humanity Behind the Video Game Screen

Video games have evolved over the years to become incredibly lifelike, with different game genres all offering an escape from reality. But what if, just like a video game, we could simply reset after a fatal mistake?

Center Repertory Company’s world premiere production of Froggy teases out a heavy dose of humanity from inside a bootleg video game. With that humanity comes hurt, as the title character’s quixotic, motion-capture quest gets underway.

Inside playwright Jennifer Haley and director Matt M. Morrow’s world is Froggy, from Texas, at different levels of her life. The young tweener Froggy (Maeve Coyne) enjoys scarfing Cheetos while huffing and puffing her every feeling.

The mature, pensive Froggy (Jamella Cross), on the other hand, finds herself locked inside a tragedy. Her boyfriend is actor Michael (Adam KuveNiemann), a self-consumed B-film performer tasked with delivering vapid lines. When Michael goes missing, Froggy’s obsession with finding him leads her through the inner workings of an underground video game, where animals and other characters are ready with hints to be unlocked. The right move means a direct progression to the end credits.

The play’s rather tight runtime, 80 minutes, is perfect for a show built on its aesthetic richness. Aside from a few clunky moments, director Matthew M. Morrow’s staging is fluid and direct.

The star of the show is the visually stunning digital work. Each jagged edge of Sibyl Wickersheimer’s scenic design provides an opportunity for Jared Mezzocchi’s creative technology to soar. Whether in the opening credits or the various visuals of critical settings, Mezzocchi and lighting designer Spense Matubang have built a playground of motion-capture heaven. Becky Bodurtha’s costumes, ranging from subtle to playful, further enhance the story.

As Froggy, Cross has a terrific knack for getting lost in the artificial world without swallowing every ounce of energy built around her. Constantly scanning and plotting, she evinces a keen awareness of the stakes that Froggy faces, built from both past memories and present realities.

Strengthening Froggy’s resolve is her having lost her brother (Jed Parsario), along with labored interactions with her dad (Michael Ray Wisely). The enhancement of Emily Newsome as the omnipresent narrator breathing life into the story works divinely.

The play does a terrific job with noir-ish storytelling elements both digitally newfangled and classic. An upstage foley table used by rotating cast members adds savory texture — the clip-clop of cowboy steps, the crunch of boots on dirt. GoPro camera feeds provide even more to stare at, without seeming fancy or superfluous; each technical decision feels deliberate.

The play’s style lends itself to organic opportunities for honest, expressive performances. Wisely’s portrayal of the dad’s inner torture bubbles brutally to the surface as he reckons with his son’s passing. Nancy Carlin’s various pop-up appearances are their own Easter eggs, whether delivering heartbreaking truths or simply providing a chuckle as a Denny’s waitress. Parsario shows skill and range in scenes between he and Coyne, tenderly setting up a crushing payoff.

It’s those tender moments that are filled with the most humanity inside a heavy and unsettled world. By the time the play’s denouement arrives, it feels as if there were no other logical way to end it; Haley’s writing leads the story to a finality that doesn’t feel satisfying, but certainly appropriate, and definitely heartbreaking.

Why do we as humans hang onto toxicity that burdens us, when letting go would preserve our sanity? Maybe it’s because when we let go of others, in a sense, we let go of ourselves. Video games, often encompassing more details than a major Hollywood blockbuster, provide a chance to shape another’s ability to redeem themselves — whether it’s a character’s redemption or our own.

‘Froggy’ runs through March 2 at the Lesher Center in Walnut Creek. Details here.