‘Emilie’ at the Metropolitan Ensemble Theatre is brainy and messy

Even before we take our seats we know from the lengthy title that Lauren Gunderson’s “Emilie: La Marquise Du Châtelet Defends Her Life Tonight” is likely a self-important play that aspires to weighty discussions of life, death, time and history.

The title character was a brilliant mathematician and physicist in 18th century France, one of a gallery of intellectuals that populated the Enlightenment. She was a friend, colleague and lover to Voltaire and could read science texts in French, English and Latin. Her translation of Isaac Newton’s “Principia” was published posthumously.

Gunderson uses this fascinating woman’s life as modeling clay to fashion a two-act drama intended to resonate with contemporary audiences. Her unoriginal conceit is that Emilie returns from the afterlife for one night to review her life and to justify and rationalize the choices she made.

The result is a non-linear drama which moves about in time unpredictably. Ultimately, it’s a Girl Power play about a woman with a prodigious intellect who died too early — and whose achievements flew in the face of male-dominated French society.

The play would be a daunting challenge for any theater company and the Metropolitan Ensemble Theatre isn’t quite up to the task of handling such tricky material. It also marks a return to the Karen Paisley Show. Paisley, co-founder of the MET, directs herself in the title role. She designed the lighting, co-designed the opulent costumes and wrote the director’s notes for the program.

That’s a lot on Paisley’s plate, especially when you consider that she never leaves the stage for more than two hours. Per the playwright’s instructions, Emilie remains on stage even during intermission. So it’s not surprising that the performance lacks focus. This challenging play needs an emotional and intellectual through-line, which can only be provided by the central performance.

Paisley smartly surrounds herself with an strong supporting cast. Robert Gibby Brand has a lot of fun — and is fun to watch — as Voltaire. Laura Jacobs impressively handles three supporting roles, including young Emilie. Logan Black appears as various men in Emilie’s life. Jeanne Averill plays several roles, including Emilie’s mother.

Sarah White’s scenic design is inventive but obviously built on the cheap. Paisley’s lighting is effective. So is John Story’s sound design, which provides an electric buzz — something like a transformer about to explode — each time Emilie moves from the past back to her present. The costumes, which Paisley designed with Jacobs, are impressive.

This is dense, complicated material that the MET show enunciates only in fits and starts. And it feels longer than it is.

This story was originally published January 24, 2016 at 10:38 AM.