Sydney A. Mason, Trisha Miller and Cassandra Marie Murphy in A Noise Within’s production of Mary Zimmerman’s “Metamorphoses.”

For its final play of the 2021-’22 season, A Noise Within is resurrecting Mary Zimmerman’s Tony-nominated “Metamorphoses,” whose title refers to the physical and emotional transformations experienced by the numerous Greek gods whose stories it braids together.

Based on David R. Slavitt’s acclaimed 1994 translation of the ancient Roman poet Ovid, “The Metamorphoses of Ovid,” the play made a literal splash when it debuted on Broadway in 2002. Water is at the center of the action, per Zimmerman’s stage directions, as actors move in, out and around a pool of water.

The nine-member cast features DeJuan Christopher (King Ceyx and others) and Sydney A. Mason (Aphrodite and others), both of whom played lead roles in A Noise Within’s fall production of August Wilson’s “Seven Guitars.” Where Wilson’s language hewed to a steady blues groove, Zimmerman’s poetic text yields “a whole new sheet of music,” as Mason puts it.

“There is a certain meter, a musicality … a sense of harmony that us artists are naturally saying yes to,” Christopher said. “We’re riding this vibration of a wave, if you will.”

Aside from its striking visual impact, the pool heightens the sensuality of dialogue in certain scenes and facilitates the comedy of others. There’s plenty of drama — these are Greek myths, after all — so it’s no surprise the pool also represents the ocean and the River Styx as the play shuttles between ancient and contemporary settings.

In a recent live Instagram chat, ANW Director of Cultural Programming Jonathan Muñoz-Proulx noted the “hypertheatrical” quality of the production, in which each actor shoulders multiple roles. Kasey Mahaffy, who portrays Phaeton and other characters, called it a “huge ensemble effort” and humorously detailed the cast’s first rehearsal with the pool’s empty shell.

“It’s always a big undertaking for every theatre that does it, because of the amount of water in the pool and the logistics that go into it,” explained scenic designer François-Pierre Couture (fpcouture.com) in a phone interview. He would know: he won an Indy Award for his scenic and lighting design for the Ensemble Theater Company’s 2014 production of “Metamorphoses” in Santa Barbara. “Everything is tied to the water, and the imagery is tied to it. The beauty of (the play) is doing it with the water.”

ANW’s presentation will be imprinted by Couture’s signature aesthetic: bold colors, strong lines and juxtapositions of positive and negative space. The grand chandelier specified in Zimmerman’s script is being swapped out for a giant disk that functions as a giant sun or moon and helps reshape the performance space. Images of water as well as gold are more deeply integrated into the scenic painting and stage setup; the play opens and closes with the story of King Midas (played by ANW producing artistic director Geoff Elliott) and his fateful passion for gold. “The other stories weave through that,” Couture said, “and I wanted the whole environment to feel like it’s been touched by him somehow.”

Bacchus, Hermes, Orpheus and an assortment of sailors, scientists, servants and underworld spirits are also featured in the play. To Mason, the “refreshing spin” Zimmerman’s script gives to familiar “pillars” of Greek mythology such as Aphrodite and Zeus makes the characters easier to interpret.

“Probably my favorite (story) right now is Orpheus and Eurydice. We’ve learned so much of the tragedy of the two young lovers and Orpheus’ tragedy in leaving to go get her. Zimmerman (incorporated a poem by) Rainer Maria Rilke, and we see Eurydice’s newfound journey even after her death, which is just the start of the main part of the story.”

She cited the deal-making, cellphone-distracted Midas when discussing the humanity of the play’s larger-than-life narratives, saying he “symbolizes our present-day man.” Christopher agreed: “There are a lot of Midases walking around whose self-worth is the state that they live in, the car they drive the Lear jets,” he observed. “And you find out, when it’s time to close your eyes for good, like the great Denzel Washington says, ‘You’ll never see a U-Haul behind a hearse.’”

The bigger picture that the play offers, according to Christopher, addresses the value of love — “why it’s important to have and why you must fight for it” — as well as the ripple effects of choices made and not made.

“Time is a continuum. It’s a portal that connects the past and present and future,” he noted. “That’s why I love history; history shows you who you are, who you have been, who you can become. … Sometimes, you can make a decision and you can’t come back from it, but then sometimes there’s grace and mercy that comes your way. Throughout these tales, sometimes grace and mercy is bestowed upon certain people, and certain people it’s not. I just see that as a parallel for life.”

A Noise Within presents Mary Zimmerman’s “Metamorphoses”

WHEN: Various times Thursdays to Sundays May 14 to June 5

WHERE: A Noise Within, 3352 E. Foothill Boulevard, Pasadena

COST: Tickets start at $25

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‘Metamorphoses’ makes a literal splash