From left, Ross, Bodge and Kay in “Saint Joan”

Wheelock Family Theatre puts on a ‘Joan’ of spark

Shaw makes for kids a show that adults will dig

The Wheelock Family
Theatre isn’t just for kids. In fact, their 28th season opener, George Bernard Shaw’s “Saint Joan,” probably won’t be very entertaining for the preteen set. Grown-ups, on the other hand, are in for quite a treat as this superb production is an engaging evening of theater.

Arguably one of Shaw’s greatest plays, “Saint Joan” is the story of Joan of Arc, the young woman who heard messages from God and used them for the greater good of mankind. Charged with heresy, Joan was ultimately burned at the stake, but not before performing minor miracles like making hens lay eggs and orchestrating the battle to drive England out of France.

Though the lowly, illiterate peasant girl defied conventions of the Middle Ages by wearing men’s clothing and behaving like a 21st century feminist, her impassioned pursuit of the truth sparked religious controversies that only ended with her canonization in 1920.

Local teen Andrea Ross delivers an impressive performance as the teenage rebel, capturing her fierce determination, world-chan-ging mindset and, ironically, the simple, slightly cocky, naïve essence of every teen. The youthful exuberance she brings to Joan creates a wonderfully stark contrast to the solemn sanctimony of the religious zealots who take her out in the name of God.

James Bodge cuts an imposing ecclesiastical cloth as the bloated Archbishop of Rheims, and Shelley Bolman is sheer perfection as Charles VII, the sniveling King of France who doesn’t like to fight.

Jonathan Overby brings a creepy haughtiness to Gilles de Rais, and Steven M. Key provides a nice counter-balance to the proceedings as Brother Martin Ladvenu, Joan’s only real ally.

Anita Fuchs’ stellar set maximizes every inch of performance space and perfectly captures the haunting grandeur of a centuries old cathedral.

Director Susan Kosoff nicely creates a fourth wall that initially feels founded in reverence, but ultimately morphs into contemporary voyeurism. Her impeccable choices make this Wheelock production one of its finest to date.

‘Saint Joan’
Through Nov. 30
Wheelock Family Theatre
200 The Riverway Boston
MBTA: Green D Line to Longwood
$13-$25, 617-879-2300
www.wheelock.edu/wft