The Milwaukee Repertory Theater explores the transformative power of vacations in its drama, The Night is a Child, which runs through April 13. Elizabeth Norment stars as Harriet, a mother who retreats to Brazil after losing her son to a senseless act of violence. She encounters intriguing characters and plenty of festive . . .

The Milwaukee Repertory Theater explores the transformative powers of vacation in its production of the drama The Night is a Child. Elizabeth Norment stars as Harriet, a mother who retreats to Brazil after losing her son to a senseless act of violence. There she encounters intriguing characters and plenty of festive Brazilian . . .

Making its world premiere this month at the Milwaukee Rep’s Quadracci Powerhouse Theater, Charles Randolph-Wright’s The Night Is a Child is a compelling drama marred by few flaws. Elizabeth Norment stars as Harriet—a mother of three whose husband has passed away. The play is set one year after Harriet’s son Michael walked into a nursery, killing nine people before committing suicide. Unable to endure the ongoing questions about the event, Harriet escapes to Brazil, where she hopes to relax. Her surviving adult children, Brian (Tyler Pierce) and Jane (Monette Magrath), follow Harriet to Brazil in an effort to bring her back home. Harriet is drawn into the mystery of Brazil by a series of fascinating characters, her central tour guide being an enchanting woman named Bia (Lanise Antoine Shelley).

Like the Milwaukee Repertory Theatre’s production of Enchanted April last month, The Night is a Child is a story of personal transformation through vacation. Elizabeth Norment stars as Harriet, a mother who retreats to Brazil after losing her son to a senseless act of violence. She encounters intriguing characters . . .

The Milwaukee Rep closes its season at the Quadracci Powerhouse Theater with a pair of world premieres. Next week, The Rep stages the world premiere of Charles Randolph-Wright’s The Night is a Child. And next month, The Rep opens its production of Armadale, Jeffrey Hatcher’s adaptation of the 19th-century Wilkie Collins novel of the same name. Randolph-Wright, a man of many talents, enjoyed one of his biggest successes as a playwright with Blue, which opened Off-Broadway in 2001. The Night is a Child is a story of personal transformation through vacation, perhaps inadvertently paralleling the theme touched on in the Rep’s production of Enchanted April last month. Elizabeth Norment stars as Harriet, a mother who lost her son to a senseless act of violence.