Missionary Position

I missed “Confessions of a Mormon Boy,” the first entry in what writer-actor Steven Fales deems his “Mormon Trilogy.” But his second installment, “Missionary Position,” left me wondering if this unquestionably interesting story of growing up a gay Mormon really needs three shows to tell it.

Fales restricts his subject matter to events surrounding and during his two-year proselytizing mission—something all Mormon males are expected to do upon reaching maturity—in Portugal. But much of what occurs in Portugal seems to have more meaning to Fales than he manages to convey to us; his stories skirt insight into emotional crises and bog down in minutiae. His most effective sequence is the riveting description of his baptism into the Mormon church, something not supposed to be shared with nonbelievers.

Fales’ curious persona mixes the standard sanitized Mormon one (he calls it a “condescending smile”) with the perkiness of the musical-theater performer Fales studied to be and the hard-won maturity of a man who has survived serious mental abuse. But lurking beneath is an edge of anger that suggested to me that perhaps Fales has yet to process fully the damage inflicted on him by his former religion.

Presented by Geveryman Productions as part of the New York International Fringe Festival
at the SoHo Playhouse, 15 Vandam St., NYC. Aug. 14–27. Remaining performances: Sun. Aug. 22, noon; Tue., Aug. 24, 10 p.m.; Fri., Aug. 27, 6 p.m. (866) 468-7619 or www.fringenyc.org.