You take your seat in the law school classroom. Enter the professor. He tosses his briefcase on a table and, in a glib manner, begins lecturing on the structure of the U.S. justice system. He asks for questions, comments. You know it's only a play. Still, you find yourself trying to think of something to contribute. He looks at you in disgust when you can't come up with a comment.

In this sense, "Modern Justice" works well. You are drawn in quickly. You feel as though you are in a college class. Tobin Atkinson - playwright, director and actor playing the part of the professor - seems like a professor.Within the over-arching structure of the schoolroom, four one-act plays unfold. Each offers a look at justice carried to its illogical conclusion. The plays are sometimes funny, sometimes thought-provoking, but ultimately heavy-handed.

"Tagger" is about graffiti. A self-righteous victim, a cop and the angry young man who does the spray-painting all explain their take on the crime and why it happens. Many comments are made about the ills of society.

"Parasite" asks us to look ahead a few years to a time when a man cannot get rid of a tapeworm without going through an eight-step procedure designed to discourage the removal of life from a host organism. One step is watching a video describing the endearing characteristics of the worm. And he can't fall asleep while he is watching it either or the doctor must rewind the video and he will have to watch it from the beginning again.

Just in case the audience doesn't get the parallel, the tapeworm host tells us several times: "This is ridiculous. I'm not stupid. I can make decisions concerning my own body."

"Blue Laws" is about archaic moral codes still on the books. Politicians like to resurrect these laws and make a big deal out of enforcing them so as to be seen as the "moral" candidate. "Suing the Sun" gives the audience the most meaty subject matter. The rights of the individual, in this most frivolous of lawsuits, threaten to prevail over the general good.

As in his previous plays Atkinson uses masks and poetry. Before, his use of couplets did nothing but enrich the script. The technique is overdone in the play "Tagger," as one actor after another uses verse to address the subject of graffiti.

The masks do add a nice touch, especially to "Suing the Sun," a play that was commissioned by the National Endowment for the Humanities. In this piece, Ron Levy plays a spunky prosecutor. He brings the same verve and professionalism to his several other roles.

On opening night several of the other actors paused or misspoke their lines. These things will presumably smooth out.

Jaime C. Rodriguez plays a cop and a coffee farmer and Justin, the hapless tapeworm host. Angela Evans' biggest role is that of parasite doctor. Camila Borrero's best performance is also in "Parasite" as an over-the-top Bible-quoting born-again.

As the victim of a tagger Rachel Kimsey did a nice job with her couplets. Nancy Durrant was best as a wild-eyed spiritualist in "Para-site."

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Zeke Totland's biggest role was as the elder brother in "Blue Laws." This was my least favorite play out of the four. But others in the audience were amused at the animosity between two brothers who try to use Utah's fornication laws to blackmail each other.

Atkinson has a hilarious accent as Noir in "Suing the Sun." His professor is also funny as he points out another of the perils of modern life: Political correctness is becoming ludicrous. The professor tries so hard that when he says, "Now let's take a look at this case. . ." he immediately catches himself and apologizes to any visually impaired students he may have accidentally offended.

Whether or not you agree with the political sensibilities of the author, "Modern Justice" will make you laugh. But, either way, whether you agree with Atkinson or not, you will come away feeling you've been lectured to.

- Sensitivity rating: Profanities and a graphic simulated tapeworm removal performed on stage.

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