Laughter meets literature in the hip new comedy “The Book Club Play,” being staged at The Public Theatre in Lewiston through Oct. 28.

LEWISTON —  “The Book Club Play” at The Public Theatre is a challenge … and that’s a good thing. It’s full of fun and it has more twists and turns than a Rubik’s Cube.

This new comedy takes the audience into a variety of book club discussions among six friends. They find that their paths to life enrichment are taking some unexpected detours with hilarious complications.

These oddball lovers of literature meet every two weeks in the upscale living room of over-achiever Ana and her husband, Rob. His book club participation leans more toward watching the movie than reading the book.

Each of the play’s characters is an obvious stereotype. Each of the books mentioned in passing or dissected in comedic detail brings about some personal consequence or revelation. The complications escalate to the breaking point.

The book club’s members find their friendly sessions for food and talk have been compromised by the addition of an all-seeing video camera focused on them for the production of a reality documentary.

Robyne Parrish, who appeared in TPT’s productions of “Miss Witherspoon” and “Rough Crossing,” puts plenty of literary elitism into her role of excessively controlling book club organizer.

Mike Ostroski, new to the TPT stage, brings an impressive theatrical background to his role as Rob, the former college jock whose low-key predictability masks some surprising flashes of passion.

Peter Husovsky, veteran of numerous TPT appearances and performances with other area theater groups, gives an outstanding portrayal of Will, whose devotion to worthy works of literature is broadened, as is his personal identification.

Courtney Thomas makes her TPT debut as Lily, a hip young writer whose off-hand comment about Will being gay sets off a series of significant events.

The addition of Alex, played by David Mason, to the book club’s membership also propels the plot into directions the friends had never considered. Mason was last seen in TPT’s “Around the World in 80 Days.” Alex is a professor of comparative literature who realizes his knowledge is totally lacking in the area of popular reading material such as the vampire world of “Twilight.”

Janet Mitchko,  co-artistic director of TPT, portrays Jen. She is the quiet type, with an undercurrent of strength and emotion that eventually becomes the salvation of the book club’s disintegrating kinship.

Christopher Schario’s direction of the play takes full advantage of the plot’s ample opportunities for examining stereotypes in life. The plot is driven by revealing some unexpected attitudes among the characters and challenging the audience to look beyond the obvious.

Karen Zakarias, author of “The Book Club Play,” has been working with The Public Theatre on the continuing development of the script. Zakarias is playwright-in-residence at the prestigious Arena Stage in Washington, D.C.

“The Book Club Play” is good fun for the audience on multiple levels. There is plenty of comedy and it is not necessary to have previous knowledge of the books mentioned. After all, it’s a long list of titles that starts with “Moby Dick” and goes through classics like “Wuthering Heights” and “The Age of Innocence” all to way to the other extreme of the Tarzan books, which were Rob’s favorites in his teen years.

The play moves rapidly. The characters’ lines careen around the action of a pinball machine, setting off flashes of light and sound as ideas are sent off in new directions with unknown consequences.

Remaining show

WHAT: “The Book Club Play”

WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday, Oct. 25-26; 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 27; and  2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 27-28

WHERE: The Public Theatre at 31 Maple St., Lewiston.

TICKETS: Call 782-3200 or visit www.thepublictheatre.org