Turning verse into action is tricky, especially with ideas as lofty as the ones in Inua Ellams’s epic poem “The Half-God of Rainfall,” now appearing in theatrical guise at New York Theater Workshop. The poem is a melodious, sky-high tale of a basketball superstar born as a result of a celestial contest between the Greek and Yoruba gods of thunder, Zeus and Sango. But the stage adaptation, which opened on Monday, runs into some flaws that, while not fatal, strand this Nigerian writer’s work in the mortal realm. To Hera’s (Kelley Curran) defeated disdain, Zeus rapes Modúpé (Jennifer Mogbock), a Nigerian woman, and soon the mixed-race half-god Demi (Mister Fitzgerald) is born. Demi’s growing celebrity eventually lands him face to face with Zeus, providing a chance to avenge his mother.

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Persons: Jason Bowen, Michael Laurence, Kelley Curran, Modúpé, Jennifer Mogbock, Demi, Mister Fitzgerald Organizations: New York Theater, Golden State Warriors Locations: Nigerian