FLY GIRLS: Grace Gonglewski (left) and Dawn Falato channel their inner Peter Pans in Evan Smith's play. : mike m. koehler

The exercises help Falato maintain the solid core strength necessary to perform those airborne antics. "The flying puts stress on my lumbar area, so I make sure my abdominals are strong and activated before I go up. It helps build support," she explains. Moving in the air is quite different than on the ground; even simple actions require a new way of thinking about the body. "It's hard to stop a spin or to change the direction of a spin," says Falato. "There's nothing to push off of. It's really just you finding the isometric movements of your muscles against the apparatus."

Meanwhile the actual liftoff and air travel is enabled by the Las Vegas-based Flying By Foy, a company best known for its work with live versions of Peter Pan. Jennifer Childs, 1812's artistic director, says that she used a big chunk of a $50,000 grant from the Philadelphia Theatre Initiative to hire Foy because "they're the big dogs of theatrical flying … we didn't want to take any chances." Childs also hired Robin Marcotte to serve as aerial choreographer for Daughters of Genius, and several of her company's tech staff have been trained by Foy to serve as backstage riggers—men behind the curtain who pull the strings that direct the actions of Falato and fellow flier Grace Gonglewski.

That's a lot of resources to put into a special effect but Childs feels it's money well spent: "The flying makes it epic," she explains. "We're talking about big ideas. There's questions about who's in charge—God or some other mysterious being—and all of these different ways of looking at the universe … there's angels and devils, and that's hard to keep earthbound."

Daughters of Genius, by playwright Evan Smith, relays a story inspired by real-life events in the lives of John Milton and his three daughters. The famed author, in the process of writing Paradise Lost, is going blind. The daughters, like all women of their time, have been kept in the dark as far as reading and writing go. Milton teaches them these skills, though, so that they may take the dictation that will enable him to finish his literary masterpiece. When Milton's daughter Anne (played by Falato) makes a deal with the devil to acquire even more knowledge, all hell, and heaven, break loose—an angel (played by Gonglewski) challenges Anne to a battle.

During rehearsals of the fight scene, both actors immediately sport wide grins as they're hoisted off the ground. Gonglewski says the feeling of being aloft is something out of the ordinary. "The first time, when they put me up about 10 feet, they asked, 'How do you feel?' and I said, 'Can I go any higher?' I loved it," she raves. "I don't even know how to describe it. It's kind of like an out-of-body experience."

Falato adds, "Sensationwise … it's kind of like going underwater. You're in a world where all the physical roles change in a very dramatic way. You have a totally different relationship with gravity."

Flying By Foy's special system of pulleys, tracks, wires and double-point harnesses enables the action to take flight. A camera on a second-floor balcony transmits images to backstage monitors so that the riggers can see what the actors are doing and where they are onstage or in the air. Tim Mackay, a Flying By Foy trainer, says that while much of their system is clearly visible, just enough of the operations are hidden for audience members to be swept away by the magic of the moment: "The performer has to look like they're doing all the work, and the audience has to be believe the performer is flying. Even though you can see the rigging, you don't see the operators pulling the ropes, so you don't think about that. … It's a willing suspension of disbelief."

Flying tricks aside, a play about "big ideas" relating to God, science, good vs. evil, and which includes big sections of Paradise Lost quoted verbatim, may seem like a high-minded production. However, Childs assures, in keeping with 1812's mission, this is an unabashed comedy: "I've been telling everyone it's Young Frankenstein funny. It's Milton meets Brooks."

Daughters of Genius, Thu.-Sat., May 25-27 and Tue., May 30, 8 p.m.; Sun., May 28, 2 and 7 p.m.; Wed., May 31, 6:30 p.m. (post-show symposium with guest speaker following performance), $10-$32,1812 Productions at St. Stephen's Theater, 10th and Ludlow sts., 215-592-9560, www.1812productions.org.