‘Higher’ time travel taps into our highest achievements, lowest emotional levels

The idea of parallel universes has fascinated philosophers and writers for ages.

For the literary devotee, “A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court” of Mark Twain used its concept in 1889 to attempt historical change.

For the low-brow reader, DC Comics gave us The Flash, who first raced into the future with his molecular-altering speed to keep the peace on two different planets in 1961. (Wonder Woman actually championed parallel universe travel in 1953, but didn’t make a habit of it.)

“Higher,” the semi-autobiographical play at Gulfshore Playhouse through Jan. 30, traverses that ground with two vulnerable men. The crux of the play is the strange adventure of a character identified only as The Wanderer, who is more or less Jeffrey Binder, its author. The Wanderer’s pilgrimage to Prague is haunted by a 15th-century architect whose contribution to the cathedral he is exploring is generally unheralded, despite shaping its visible impact.

Harriet Howard Heithaus, Naples Daily News