By Christian Dietrich Grabbe. Directed by Julek Neumann. A Studio 58 production. At Studio 58 until October 22

The first three elements in the title of Comedy, Satire, Irony and Deeper Meaning are abundantly present in this deftly executed production, which marks the Canadian premiere of a German play that's nearly two centuries old. It's the last one, the “deeper meaning”, that remains elusive.

Director Julek Neumann has adapted Christian Dietrich Grabbe's chaotic script, which was written in 1822 and is still popular in Europe. In what is only arguably the play's central plot, three men are vying for the hand of Liddy, a wealthy baroness; the Devil just happens to be in town to stir the pot. Grabbe frequently and frustratingly wanders from this story to focus on other characters or to take potshots at the literary pretensions of his time: Liddy's uncle rants about audiences and critics, the drunken Village Schoolmaster reads his fish wrap to keep up with what's popular, and the poet Kilratt immediately warms to the Devil when the latter says, “Don't be afraid. I've read your poems.” We get the comedy, and some of the satire, but a few judicious cuts might have helped keep things on track.

Neumann responds to the script's considerable challenges by cranking up both its precocious postmodernist instincts and its theatricality. He deploys a grab bag of tricks ranging from songs to black-light puppetry to make Grabbe's more inaccessible passages at least entertaining. Marina Szijarto's gorgeous costumes, David Roberts's multifaceted set, and Patrick Pennefather's exquisitely textured compositions all contribute an otherworldly sensuality.

The director also elicits solid work from his 15-person cast. Sebastian Kroon is assured and unpretentious as the cynical Schoolmaster. Charles Gallant creates such a physically detailed characterization of the lovably hideous Roxsoft, one of Liddy's suitors, that his deformities never feel like caricature. Chris Cochrane does an equally thorough job with the small part of Konrad, the blacksmith; the scene in which he fits Kyle Jesperson's gleefully maniacal Devil with a horseshoe is one of the play's comic highlights.

As a collection of ideas, scenes, and techniques of theatrical storytelling, this production can't be faulted””it's bursting at the seams. But “deeper meaning” requires a coherence that's missing here.