The spy world and the psychology of the people who work in it seem to have intrigued playwright James Still. In "Miranda," a new play that opened Saturday at Illusion Theater in Minneapolis, Still spools out lots of tantalizing tidbits about identity, suspicion, motivation and how technical details figure into a fictional CIA operation in Yemen.

Still obviously did lots of homework, but he has not found a convincing reason why this play had to be written. "Miranda," directed by Illusion's Michael Robins, wanders through a lot of intentionally turbid writing, confusing (not complex, just confusing) characters and an absence of compelling urgency. Does it want to be a character study, a sleuthy mystery, something else? Hard to know, even harder to care.

A publicity poster in the elevator going up to Illusion's auditorium proposed that if you like Showtime's hit spy show "Homeland," then you will love "Miranda." Well, Still's play would be happy for a comparison to "Homeland," but other than the basic subject palette, the allusion is pure marketing.

A CIA agent (Carolyn Pool) shuttles from Jordan to Yemen, where she works for a field boss (Steve Hendrickson) and his supervisor (Beth Gilleland). Miranda — which is her real name, although she goes by different covers — witnesses an explosion in Amman and then tries to cultivate sources in the Yemeni city of Aden, where she and her boss fret about tactics, identities and personal histories.

Still makes Shakespeare's "Othello" a piece of the puzzle, spinning off Iago's comment that "I am not what I am" — that is, let not your exterior reveal your inward motivation. It is an interesting thought, although it gets thrown in the barrel with so much other stuff that the meaning never gets a thorough investigation.

This is the problem with Still's inert play. It is a hodgepodge of ideas without a clear dramatic intent.

Robins' staging at Illusion is largely lifeless. It appears Pool was left on her own to find a hook — a way into the soul of Miranda. She tries valiantly, but the script ultimately defeats her efforts. We might know a few more facts about Miranda by the end of the play, but we don't have a comprehensive sense — or an empathetic response — to what makes her tick and why she courts danger.

Hendrickson reveals some character quirks in a role that is more limited in its mission, and Gilleland dispatches her work efficiently. Ricky Morrisseau, in particular, and Delta Rae Giordana put energy into characters who are being tapped for information.

It is important to say that mystery, even confusion, can tighten the sense of suspense and interest in drama — if the confusion exists for more than its own sake. Still and Illusion have not convinced us by any means that the elusiveness of "Miranda" is worth the trouble to sit and ponder this play.

Graydon Royce is a longtime Star Tribune theater critic. He can be reached at roycegraydon@gmail.com.