‘Pavilion’ plumbs depths of regret

But that’s off in the future. Right now, DTF is kicking off all traces of straw hat torpor with a thrilling production of Craig Wright’s “The Pavilion,’’ an ambitious chamber work that debuted off-Broadway to considerable acclaim in 2005. As effective as that production was, director Giovanna Sardelli finds new depth — and readier humor — in this quirky study of time and regret, and the seemingly irreconcilable differences between the two.

The scene — Debra Booth’s graceful yet grand set evokes it perfectly — is a century-old lakeside dance hall in Pine City, Minn., where the high school class of ’79 has gathered to celebrate its 20th reunion. A victim of civic ambition, the pavilion is due to be burned down at the close of the festivities to make way for a concrete rock-concert venue.

Peter, an alum who made good (he’s a psychologist in the big city now, though his crowning achievement amid this crowd may be merely the fact that he managed to get out of town), is appalled at his peers’ patent disregard for the past. In fact, Peter (played with palpable sincerity and superb timing by Jeremiah Wiggins) is actually on a mission to resurrect the past — in general, and his own personal past in particular. As gradually becomes clear, he never got over the first love of his life, former classmate Kari (Sarah Kate Jackson), whom he abandoned way back then in a family way.