Daren Scott and Samantha Ginn Photo Courtesy of Ion Theatre

After being imprisoned in a Missouri town called Lodus, Carlton meets a verbally blunt inmate, Tanya Shepke (Samantha Ginn), an indifferent chief, Swenson (Don Loper), and a frustrated administrative assistant, Shonda Cox (Tina Machele Brown). The bureaucrat for the U.S. Department of State admits to stealing the "enemies list" from the faction in Washington, and believes it will prevent the members from causing harm to innocent people. Swenson and Shonda think Carlton is exaggerating the dangers of the faction. Desperate for help, he tries to convince Tanya to aid him with a plan to take down the possibly evil group.

Reading any synopsis about Wells' 2012 story can cause confusion. His premise, while extremely relevant, is complicated and hard to explain in just a couple of sentences. What Isaac Fowler is able to do in his directorial debut is stage the play in a way that's straightforward and easy to follow. With only one major scene change on Jonathan Gilmer's gritty set at intermission, the intimacy of both acts allows audiences to quickly get invested in Tanya and Carlton's stories. Part of this is because of the urgent and comical performances he gets from Ginn and Scott. They both act like their individual worlds will be ruined if they don't find a way to leave prison.

In a role with frequently profane and shocking dialogue, Ginn is surprisingly hilarious as a person whose existence is pretty unhappy. Although much of her early dialogue relies too much on excessive profanity to represent her careless attitude, Ginn still finds amusing ways to get laughs in Tanya's selfish behavior. Playing off of Ginn's wired energy is Scott's anxious portrayal of Carlton. For a long period of time, he makes it hard to guess whether the official is an honest man or just an oddball. In addition to their spoken conversations, Ginn and Scott are hilarious in several sequences that rely more on body language and gestures than spoken words. Each star brings a lot to small moments that actually help progress the plot.

Despite their abnormal behavior, Tanya and Carlton keep theatregoers interested in the outcome of Wells' narrative. Having two extremely interesting people at the center of The North Plan does come at the expense of others throughout Fowler's interpretation. The energy of the evening stalls when Ginn and Scott are gone, which isn't that often. None of the actors are at fault, as Brown, Loper, Fred Hunting, and Jake Rosko are all well cast. It's more because Wells doesn't devote as much time to flesh out the supporting players.

That issue still doesn't ruin the slow-growing tension that starts a couple of minutes into The North Plan. Theories that Carlton shares are unsettling and sound simultaneously far-fetched and plausible. Because of that strange balance, suspense comes from finding out whether or not he is sharing facts or lies. While no plot points will be ruined, Wells commits to his twists and each of them feel well developed. Without ever fully dropping the blackly witty tone, he does go to grim places towards the last part of the rendition.

Uncomfortably humorous and occasionally disturbing, Wells doesn't play things safe in his original theatrical piece. Even in funnier moments, the experience is challenging and intelligent.

Ion Theatre Company presents The North Plan through September 9, 2017. Performs through Sundays at 3704 6th Avenue. Tickets start at $18.00 and be purchased online at www.iontheatre.com or by phone at 1-619-600-5020.