A man argues with two of his alter egos amid nuclear war in Morningstar. (Photo courtesy of Capital Fringe)

Reminds us of: Gollum and Smeagol arguing in the Panic Room.

Flop, Fine or Fringe-tastic?: Fine.

The effects of long-term isolation can be dangerous and unpredictable; Morningstar attempts to mine those dramatic depths. The hermit in question is Dr. Wren Maslow (Nathaniel Klein), an engineer who has sealed himself in the titular Morningstar vault to await the imminent worldwide detonation of nuclear weapons while he argues with two younger versions of himself. This “dialogue” constitutes the meat of the show, but also represents something of a missed opportunity. We learn plenty about Wren’s troubled past, but very little about the context of the bunker and the bombs falling in the meantime. Part of this feels like an attempt to develop mystery, but it does seem strange to build a setting with such inherent drama and then use it as not much more than window dressing for an offbeat therapy session. After all, few things are more exciting — for better or worse — than nuclear war.

It doesn’t help that Klein, also the playwright, is a competent actor but just not quite robust enough to hold down a one-man show on his own. His often inconsistent physicality between the three personalities makes it harder than it should be to track which of the three is talking. The show falls short of a coherent and compelling story, which is a shame — there are some worthwhile ideas at its core. With some further development, Klein should be able to tease them out.

Where to See It: Shopkeeper on Florida Avenue on July 11 at 5:45 p.m., July 15 at 8:15 p.m. and July 16 at 11:00 a.m. Buy tickets here.

See here for all of DCist’s 2017 Capital Fringe coverage. All shows are $17, with a button ($7) required for entry.