Kenny Rayborn, Dominique Owen, and Malik Smith Photo by Mikki Schaffner

Blerds was originally announced for Know's 2023-2024 season, but the anticipated cost of producing Buckner's imaginative tale during a year when the company was evolving administratively led to its postponement for a year. This production seems to have found some cost-saving theatrical devices to put it onstage this year.

The action is played out on a relatively blank stage at Know Theatre. With a scenic design by Jidé Fresh, the story is performed in front of eight tall, vertical white drapes. They serve as screens for projections designed by Douglas J. Borntrager, some simple representations of the D.C. subway, sometimes more fanciful locations appropriate to the characters' imaginations, and occasionally with pop-ups of cartoonish portraits of reactions of the individual characters–shock, fear, anxiety, even triumph. Lighting design by Mike Gaynor adds to the frenetic action.

Directed by Cincinnati stage veteran Derek Snow, Blerds is a high-energy 80 minutes, sometimes a bit too high energy for its own good. Set in 2002, it's full of pop culture references to gaming, music and movies from that era. Tunes by 50 Cent, Nelly and others underscore the moment in time. Much of the story flies by so fast that it might be off the radar for anyone over age 30.

That's not to say it's not enjoyable. Three young actors enthusiastically portray Blerds, who worship their contemporary mythology. In the opening scene, played before cartoonish projections of a spaceship bridge, they re-enact a Space Quest scenario that requires throwing dice to determine actions and outcomes. Dominique Owen is D.J., the fiercest adherent of the game; based on his costume, he's clearly a Spiderman acolyte, but he's deeply into a battle sequence, even when a fatal decision makes it end badly. His crew, twins Kiera (Kenny Rayborn), in Princess Leia attire from Star Wars, and Brandon (Malik Smith), outfitted like Keanu Reeves in The Matrix, are right with him in noisy support.

The three yearn for Black superheroes they can relate to. In a Know Theatre news release director Snow explained, "I was definitely a Blerd myself–I've always wanted to direct a show like this. I think it's really important to create spaces and mythologies of our own ... that's what attracted me to this show, that we did not have enough shows in this city that represented mythologies for people of color. If you are creating a mythology it should be larger than life; [the actors] have all the permission in this show to do so, because that's what it's about."

Accordingly, "larger than life" is precisely what Owen, Rayborn and Smith do with their roles, taking off on a quixotic quest to attend a Comic-Con gathering via the D.C. subway at a moment when a real-life sniper terrorized the city. (The so-called Beltway sniper held the metro area in thrall for three weeks in October 2002.) The kids' boldness and assurance regarding their quest–not to mention skipping school–profoundly worry D.J.'s anxious father Derek (Deondra Keanu Means) and the twins' self-assured mother Tonya (Meredith Frankie Crutcher). They spend most of the play unsuccessfully searching for their kids, always several steps behind. The adults, we eventually learn, have some of their own mythologies and superheroes that are core to their own existences.

Along the way we occasionally see a checklist of items that constitute elements of a quest and how the characters are progressing toward that end, constituting meeting a genuine hero. Philip Latham, listed in the program as "The Stranger," is portrayed as Samuel L. Jackson in his Star Wars persona. He brandishes a glowing purple lightsaber and represents the achievement of D.J.'s fanciful quest, but it's evident that the kids have elevated their own existences to step beyond being Blerds to becoming heroes themselves.

For audiences not tuned in to the pop culture foundation of Buckner's script, the story might be a tad hard to follow. But thanks to the energy and commitment of the young cast under Snow's direction, it's still an entertaining production.

Blerds, produced by Know Theatre of Cincinnati, runs through April 19, 2025, at David C. Herriman Center for the Performing Arts, 1120 Jackson Street, Cincinnati OH. For tickets and information, please visit www.knowtheatre.com or call 513-300-5669.