Mundy Spears, Randolph Curtis Rand, and Dane Edidi. Photo by Franc Rosario.

By Contributor Chrystal Genesis

In case you’ve never been to Spooky Action Theater, you should know that their location, deep in a church basement, is a surreal experience in and of itself. As you take the winding stairs down to the theater, you walk through the church kitchen until you suddenly there it is — this intimate but brightly lit performing space.

In material to match the medium, Spooky Action’s The Wedding Dress, directed by Rebecca Holderness, brings a strong sense of surrealism to this psychological thriller, which follows Alaide, a woman who cannot remember what happened to her or what she may or may not have done. All Alaide knows is that something terrible has happened.

We are guided along by Madam Clessi, a striking, wealthy courtesan who travels through time to help Alaide remember. Dane Figueroa Edidi does nice work in a multi-faceted role: She’s the devil on Alaide’s shoulder, a comedian, a woman lost between two worlds.

Brazilian playwright Nelson Rodrigues covers subjects such as betrayal, death, truth, fiction, madness and hypocrisy — revolutionary for the time it was written, in 1943, well before magical realism made other South American authors like Marquez and Allende famous.

The play answers some questions but leaves others to the imagination: Who was killed? What is behind the relationship of Madam Classi and her lover? Who are the two prostitutes in the background? Adding to the ambiguity, 10 actors play more than 20 characters.

The actors are comfortable with one another. And Sue Struve is brilliant as the mother of the sisters, an overbearing parent who loves to brush things under the carpet. Randolph Curtis Rand, who plays Alaide’s husband Pedro, is excellent at instilling a freakish fear beneath the calm demeanor of his character.

The set design by Vicki Davis was also executed well, with a see-through white curtain split into four long pieces, opening and closing as if to symbolize that the more you know, the less you know.

The Wedding Dress runs through March 9. Tickets range are $15-$35. 1810 16th Street NW. Visit www.spookyaction.org or call 202-248-0301.