Review: The fallout of a disgraced TV dad not named Bill Cosby lands with a thud in 'The Peterson Show'

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Set us as preferred The shadow of Bill Cosby hangs over the “The Peterson Show,” a new play by Janine Nabers about the fallout of a disgraced TV dad on the grown-up cast members who played his children on the show.Echo Theater Company, which is presenting the world premiere of this play in a production directed by Michelle Bossy, has reconfigured its Atwater Village Theatre space for the occasion.The refresh — in terms of the position of the stage and the audience and in the level of the design elements, including video monitors showing clips of Black sitcoms — promises a vital evening of theater.Unfortunately, the production is hamstrung by fundamental problems in the writing, directing and acting, all pointing to a failure of control.

Control of the story, control of the tone and control of the cast.In my fall preview item for this show, I wrote that the “production is all but guaranteed to be more enlivening than an evening spent surfing Netflix.” Well, it’s certainly lively, but in a boisterous way that made me regret I had left my couch.Not even Netflix would give “The Peterson Show” the greenlight.The story centers on the adult lives of the sitcom’s five child stars who are thrust once again into the spotlight after a reunion rumor goes viral and their TV mom, Valerie, kills herself.Ronika (Tamerla Perry), the troublemaker of the group, careens through life with faulty brakes.

Zoe (Kristen Ariza), who has traded TV stardom for an academic career and motherhood, wants the normalcy that her former fame keeps threatening.Dwight (Devere Rogers) is messy and loud as well as addicted to fame and other substances.Blair (Kelly McCreary), who pulled herself out of a miserable childhood, has made a successful career as an award-winning actor and isn’t going to let her flimsy talent or her TV siblings stand in her way.

Elliot (John Clarence Stewart), who seems the best adjusted of this crew, ...