If you think you’re way beyond the trials, tribulations, and triumphs of high school, see how you feel when a reunion looms. For the lead characters in Craig Wright’s bittersweet comedy The Pavilion, the 20th anniversary of the Class of 1982 is an opportunity for regret, reminiscence, and revenge. Set in "Pine City," Minnesota, a town within hailing distance of Lake Wobegon, the play brings old schoolmates together at the gorgeous wooden Pavilion on the edge of the lake. This will be the last hurrah for the lovely old structure before the local fire department burns it to the ground.

At Merrimack Rep, the Pavilion itself, designed by Anna Louizos, is gorgeous — a gothic structure of soaring wooden lattice. Beyond its ramparts lies an inky distant shore dotted with pinlights. These actually have dimmer bulbs stretching below, so that there’s a marvelous illusion of light reflected on water. The effect is both realistic and elegiac, but lead characters Peter and Kari seldom gaze in its direction. Their orientation is backward and, ultimately, inward.

It seems that Kari still nurses a lake-sized grudge against Peter, with whom she was voted "Cutest Couple" way back. And since she stuck around Pine City (where she works in the safe-deposit vault of the local bank) whereas Peter has fled for "the city" and a life as a therapist, one can only assume that Peter did her wrong. Rounding out the cast is a Narrator, who also takes multiple roles as various other characters at the reunion.

For the most part, The Pavilion is a witty trifle that owes massive debts to Thornton Wilder, Garrison Keillor, and Grace Metalious. If you can suspend your disbelief that kids who came of age in the era of Reagan could behave as if they were still living in Eisenhower’s America, you’ll have a much more enjoyable time. The play has received numerous productions nationwide, and the appeal is obvious — it’s an actors’ delight. Peter and Kari spend the first act carping at each other while the Narrator plays everyone from Cookie, the stoner mayor who wants to destroy the Pavilion, to various busybody females of the Class of ’82. Unfortunately, when he’s not assuming these different personae, he’s spouting proto-profound gobbledygook like "At the center of every universe, there’s you," or "It’s time that’s breaking your heart. Hold onto the past, even out of love, and this universe will tear you to shreds." One can imagine Grover’s Corners’ Stage Manager wrinkling his nose.

It’s hard to believe Wright has also written for HBO’s Six Feet Under. In any event, he fares better in short scenes between Kari or Peter and a classmate. These witty vignettes encapsulate everything that’s hilariously trivial and inevitable about a reunion — the classmates who brag, the classmates who’re mid-breakdown, the classmates who’re spoiling for revenge. In the cloistered purlieux of Pine City, a lot of folks stuck around, and the alert playgoer will enjoy the opportunity to hear about the various ménages that unfold offstage during the evening.

The performing trio at Merrimack Rep attack Wright’s piece with vigor and style. Brendan Fox’s direction is brisk — there’s little lingering, even on the Narrator’s more thudding koans. Kudos also to dialect coach Nina Pleasants, who has coaxed flattened phonemes out of the cast. Elisabeth S. Rodgers brings a simmering passion to Kari; wearing a floral frock and a shapeless cardigan, she creates a character who’s 24-karat repressed. Husband Hans is a golf pro who "rescued" her way back when, and Rodgers is thoroughly believable as a wife in loveless wedlock. Baylen Thomas exudes a melancholy appeal as Peter, who aims frequent damp gazes in Kari’s direction — though it’s hard to figure what the character sees in this uptight, angry woman. Thomas even makes Peter’s endless repetitions of what a mess he’s made of his life seem like revelations. But the laurels go to Jonathan Tindle, who’s bearable as the Narrator and makes his parade of classmates not only lively but distinct. He’s a welcome presence every time — and full of school spirit.