Donavon Armbruster and Megan Mori Photo courtesy of TNW Ensemble Theater

Except that TNW have been around for 40 years and have attracted solid support for their work, typically two annual performances in their yellow box and another in a different venue. It is refreshing to see an original piece with production values pared down to the minimum (though the experience might be enhanced in a black box, which would help the actors stand out from the walls).

The set comprises a handful of pieces to suggest desks and a counter, more than adequate for the bare-bones staging.

The story is a comedy with sinister reverberations for our time. Natalie (Megan Mori), a freelance (i.e. unemployed) editor, gets what seems like a golden opportunity for a gig with a seemingly respectable publisher. Alas, when the publisher starts playing games like sending her checks to be deposited in her account against purchases for computers, it starts to be clear to everyone except her that this "publisher" intends to scam her. (The common name for such a scam is "hog-butchering," in which the mark is slowly divested of her assets one slice at a time. Ouch!)

Without giving away the ending, suffice it to say that Natalie, inspired by Emma Peel in the old TV series "The Avengers," sets about to even the score and then some, taking up the second act. (Her vengeful alter ego's outfit is notable: costumes by Issaka Aguirre.)

The chief architect of Natalie's troubles is Noel Cannon (Donavon Armbruster), an angry older man with a knack for spinning fantastical webs to entrap naive souls. His principal tool is Sammy Collins (Patrick Chounet), a talented hacker but not otherwise the brightest bulb on Broadway–or even Off-Off. Natalie's principal advisers hang out at a local coffee shop (proprietor Cass, played by Donna Peckett, and fellow regular patron Lois, played by Danielle Dresden). These friends are instrumental in identifying and unwinding the plot that otherwise would ensnare Natalie. Additional characters are Johnny Angel, an unconventional banker (Francisco Torres, who also directs and does the entertaining sound design), and a solid citizen (also the stage manager), played by Shane Heim.

The tone of the acting, excepting Mori and Torres, tends toward the heavy and earnest–the former for the villains and the latter for Natalie's coffee-shop buddies. There were also some line problems on the night reviewed. Some aspects of the story are far-fetched. Does the FBI really leave threatening messages on people's voicemail? And would anyone with any experience in commercial real estate fall for the trick played by Natalie? Still, the script says that her intent is to "flood the zone" with stuff designed to worry the villains, so maybe it's appropriate to throw absurdities at them toward the end, just to throw them off-balance. (Graphics: Michael Duffy.)

Scammed! runs through March 23, 2025, at TNW Ensemble, 1957 Winnebago St., Madison WI. For tickets and information, please visit www.tnwensembletheater.org or call 608-770-0826.