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Photo By: Michael Brosilow, Courtesy Steppenwolf Theatre Company

SLOWGIRL

The jungle of Costa Rica proves fertile meeting ground for the spiritually displaced pair at the heart of Greg Pierce’s Slowgirl, an unhurried but never dull unfolding of the layers we use to deceive each other and ourselves. Directed by Geffen Playhouse artistic director Randall Arney after a run in Chicago last summer, the Steppenwolf Theatre production makes efficient work of its four extended scenes, each a signpost along a journey from disengagement to authenticity.

After a nine-year separation, American expat Sterling (William Peterson) welcomes his troubled niece Becky (Rae Gray) to his enclave outside Los Angeles. It comes as no surprise that the teenager isn’t merely on vacation; like her uncle, she’s seeking refuge from legal complications in the States. The technical guilt of either one is not exactly beside the point, but it’s not the only point under Arney’s finely tuned direction.

Sterling dabbles in Shintoism and speaks three languages; Becky sneaks sips of rum and compares food to various body fluids. Pierce’s script captures the peculiar cadences of his characters’ distinctive lexicons, and the actors’ carefully calibrated performances make the most of it. Peterson offers hesitant hospitality in his soft, self-effacing stammer; Gray delivers appalling lines with a brashness that’s as much defensive bravado as actual vulgarity. Together, their voices make their own rhythm against the constant thrum of wildlife just outside the door. A split seating arrangement lets the audience envelop the action, filling in for the surrounding wilderness, while Takeshi Kata’s design fluidly transitions from Sterling’s open-air cabin to the local environs.

Slowgirl isn’t a showy play, but it transforms its characters with a deftness that would be less apparent in a more sensationalist script. There’s relief in this dispensation from fireworks—in the hands of such a skilled team, a quiet story is enough. –Jenny Lower

Steppenwolf Theatre Company at the Geffen Playhouse in the Aurdrey Skirball Kenis Theater; 10886 Le Conte Ave., Westwood; Tues.-Fri., 8 p.m.; Sat., 3 & 8 p.m.; Sun., 2 p.m.; through April 20. (310) 208-5454, www.geffenplayhouse.com.