In the brutally cold month of March 1873, Smuttynose Island (one of the Isles of Shoals off the coast of Portsmouth), was the home of John Hontvet (Rob Scullin), his wife Maren (Laurie Ewer), her unmarried sister Karen (Amber Lavalley), her younger brother Evan Christensen (Joel Smith), and his young wife Anethe (Dinah Schultze). A hired man, Louis Wagner (Chris Walters), worked with John briefly, but had been dismissed when Evan arrived from Norway. One night, Wagner learned that the women were alone on the island. He also knew John was saving money to buy a new fishing boat, and that it was likely hidden somewhere in the Hontvet house. That evening, Karen and Anethe were brutally murdered. Maren alone escaped, and named Wagner as the killer. At least, that's how the story goes. Wagner was tried, convicted on circumstantial evidence, and hanged. But he never stopped proclaiming his innocence. To this day, some believe Maren to be the guilty one.

The haunting tale is the stuff of local legend and pop culture. Several books and a film have been created on the subject, and still the question of the real murderer-and the real motive-lingers.

"Isles in the Moon," by local playwright Jeff Symes, transports the audience to 1873. We can hear the ocean crashing onto the shoals; we can smell the salt air and feel the exhaustion of such a hard existence, as well as the tight bond of family. The characters are defined, real and complex. Against this harsh reality, Symes intersperses the ethereal spirits of the Maid and Phillip Babb (both ghosts from old sea lore), who manipulate the living into doing their bidding. Rarely does one find a tale this vicious so elegantly conveyed.

The very popular play was staged three times at the Players' Ring between 1996 and 2000, the last time it was produced. Director Todd Hunter makes some unusual choices for its fourth run. While I applaud him for taking chances, the selections he made dilute the tale rather than strengthen it, in my opinion. Hunter directs his actors for a proscenium, or conventional, stage, and in the three-quarter venue of the Players' Ring, much is lost; several important moments are missed simply because we can't see them. He also made the choice of using one set, which didn't seem to suit all of the action. At times the characters made references to being outside, but the kitchen table and chairs remained throughout. Karen's mental disintegration, due partially to her moving to a new land and partially to the influence of the ghostly Maid, is too abrupt to be genuinely convincing. Phillip Babb, though described as a prankster, is here a dreary character. Laurie Ewer, one of the Seacoast's stage treasures, isn't able to explore Maren's hardened character beyond the one note needed to foil the other performances. During the blacked-out murder scene, the women scream repeatedly in sheer terror, and Symes' brilliant dialogue regarding the stalking murderer's whereabouts, is completely lost. Worst of all, in the scenes where the two dead girls come back to torment Louis in his cell, they're reminiscent of the title character in Carrie. Hunter went full force for the gore factor, and this heavy-handed visual shatters the suggestion of a man driven mad by guilt and denial.

Rob Scullin, as John Hontvet, is one of those actors who steps into the shoes of a character and simply becomes him. I never grow tired of watching him. Constance Whitman, as the courtly Maid, is breathtaking. Dinah Schultze, who has literally grown up onstage at the Ring, impresses as the beautiful, innocent Anethe. While I don't agree with the interpretation of Sheola's role, nevertheless he brings to it the excellence he gives to every part, as does Laurie Ewer. Chris Walters, as Louis Wagner, gives us an interesting beginning, but then never seems to change, even as the events around him turn his life upside-down. Amber Lavalley is lovely and lost as the confused Karen, but it's difficult to understand much of her dialogue. Newcomer Joel Smith shows a liveliness and an eagerness appropriate for the character of young Evan.

Though I found this production to be flawed, the local legend is fascinating local legend, it's a fabulous script, and the cast is full of talent. See for yourself.

"Isles in the Moon" runs through Oct. 31 at the Players' Ring, 105 Marcy St., Portsmouth, Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10 general admission, $8 students and seniors. For reservations, call 603-436-8123.