A monster and her three kids navigate interpersonal tensions amid a surreal setting in O Monsters. (Photo courtesy of Capital Fringe)

Reminds Us Of: The first 15 minutes of an episode of Black Mirror, plus The Meyerowitz Stories/other wrenching dramas about misdeeds among families

Flop, Fine or Fringe-tastic?: Fringe-tastic, for better or worse.

A man sitting near me for Saturday night’s performance of New Paradise Laboratories’ O Monsters twice muttered “What is going on?” and threw in a “What the fuck?” for variety.

I’m with him most of the way. This 60-minute spectacle of manic choreography and ambiguous intensity doesn’t satisfy narrative concerns or clearly explain thematic ones. You could see it five times and take five different things away.

But … I liked it. Coherence is overrated, especially when the alternative involves volleys of ping-pong balls, a bowl-spinning competition, a digital ticker that reads “sky position” followed by a slew of meaningless digits, and alternating moments of endearing tenderness and disturbing misbehavior. All four actors, playing characters akin to aliens, fully commit to an astonishing array of physical gesticulations.

At its core, O Monsters tracks a single mother and her three kids as they negotiate relationships and swap personas. Just because they’re monsters who don’t look like or act like us doesn’t mean they don’t tell us something about ourselves.

Where to See It: Arena Stage

When to See It: Friday, July 13 at 8:30 p.m.; Saturday, July 14 at 1:45 p.m.; Sunday, July 15 at 6:15 p.m.; Friday, July 20 at 8:30 p.m.; Saturday, July 21 at 1:45 p.m.; Sunday, July 22 at 8:15 p.m.

Check out all of our coverage of this year’s Capital Fringe Festival here.