The "ethical conundrum" is intriguing: Is genetic manipulation to create disease-free (or otherwise custom-designed) children wrong? Scientist Jonas (Tim Moyer) and his wife, Lizzie (Nancy Boykin), already did the deed: Second son Jason (Ahren Potratz) was "fixed" to avoid first son Paul's (Matt Pfeiffer) mental handicap.

That Jonas is simultaneously receiving "the highest honor in biological sciences" and facing an FDA investigation forces their secret out: Will he face prosecution for experimenting on humans, or be hailed as a hero and "deliver mankind into the genomic age"? (We never find out.) Familiar speculation emerges: Will genetic engineering allow parents to choose gender, looks and talents for their children as well as eliminate hereditary disease? Will a caste system favoring designed supermen develop? Is this a play or an essay?

Family tensions surface when Jason's told he's a "walking medical miracle," though his anger seems contrived. The spousal conflict is more convincing: Lizzie's dedicated her life to Paul's care, while Jonas shunned the needy boy to favor his intelligent, talented brother.

Director Harriet Power's production strains to realize the family drama, while the script focuses more on the ethical dilemma as Jonas argues with opposition mouthpiece Corey (Kevin Bergen), the FDA's "enforcer," and purposeless boss Robert (Seth Reichgott), who both opposes and supports Jonas. The most engagingly human characters are Pfeiffer's Paul, who balances the perpetual child's cuteness with the tantrums that make him a lifelong burden, and Lizzie as his devoted but downtrodden caregiver. Narration from Jonas' grandfather Boris (John Morrison), an ice fisherman slowly dying on a drifting ice floe, frames the debate. How his fate relates to genetic engineering is anyone's guess.

The gray, abstract set—puzzlingly accented with poles that the cast ignores—and gray costumes overstate the issue's moral ambiguity, working against efforts to make Reinventing Eden a story about individuals.

Last weekend, the stars aligned notably at 2030 Sansom St.: All three theater spaces featured premieres. Tim Appignani's Feed the Hype upstairs at Second Stage (which closed Saturday), Walt Vail's Design for Loving across the hall at The Playground, and Reinventing Eden in the Adrienne prove a growing commitment to local playwrights.

REINVENTING EDEN

Through May 7, InterAct Theatre Co., 2030 Sansom St., 215-568-8079, www.interacttheatre.org