The Wilbury Group tackles a sprawling musical that grew out of the Evangelical movement in Colorado Springs and was developed through a series of interviews with actual persons involved. What we get are a series of uneven vignettes involving the people attracted to the religious movement and those who criticize it.

While the musical raises some interesting and controversial issues about evangelism and religion in general, it too often comes across as preachy and pedantic.

Director Josh Short has staged the production in the round under huge white fabrics, giving the audience the feeling of being in a tent revival meeting. Actors mingle with the audience, frequently drawing them into the action. While the method engages the audience, it also has the ability to intimidate some.

We meet a handful of young people who are drawn to evangelism’s “unofficial U.S. capital,” all with happy faces and hopes for a better life and all with back stories filled with reasons for their attraction to the community.

There’s a lot of movement, as actors scramble in and out, carrying props and changing scenes at a rapid pace. At times it is a challenge to figure out who is who. A great emphasis is placed on the homosexuals who are drawn to evangelism and the fight for same-sex “civil unions.”

Act I ends with the feeling of conflict rising between the more liberal evangelists and the Baptist church. (Where were the Catholics?)

Act 2 begins with a revival meeting and the devastating disclosure that top Evangelist Ted Haggard has been disgraced for not only hiring a male prostitute but also buying meth. Individuals have their faith tested as the happy faces of Act 1 turn sad and confused as they try to deal with the issues surrounding faith and their future.

“This Beautiful City” is an interesting concept, but the structure of the play is a bit too jumbled to provide clarity.

The cast of eight takes on many roles, but some are not clearly defined. Andrew Iacovelli is fine as Haggard’s son, a minister whose faith is challenged by his father’s actions. Jo-ann Peralta has a moment in a lengthy sermon passionately delivered at the end.

The songs lean more toward the pop genre than gospel and do not require much from the singers.

If you are looking for something different, “A Beautiful City” may please you. For me, it was a bit too much of fragmented history that too often wandered into the wilderness.

At Wilbury Theatre, 395 Broad St. (the former Trinity Church) in Providence, through October 12. Call 400-7100 or go online at www.thewilburygroup.org for more info and reservations.