It’s obvious from watching Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe’s Lies, Spells & Old Wives’ Tales that its creators, artistic director Nate Jacobs and his brother, Michael, have a plethora of family/ancestor/community folklore to draw from. The hard part, based on the show’s running time of three hours (including intermission), must be winnowing it down so as to not wear out an audience’s stamina and attention span.

Lack of stamina is never an issue with WBTT’s actors, though, and that’s again the case here, as, clad in Suwatana Pla Rockland’s colorful, evocative costumes, they serve to interpret the wisdom the Jacobs brothers believe is passed down from generation to generation, especially among women. Executing Donald Frison’s varied choreography, delivering the show’s original songs (creatively arranged by Dan Sander-Wells and led by music director John Bronston), they are filled with high spirits and confidence throughout the evening.

That’s true from the opening number, "Tunaitwa Sassa," a Swahili phrase meaning “We are being called now.” Those called are the elders who need to share their tales and knowledge with younger souls facing more modern-day troubles. While some of what they have to say may be considered superstition, to them it has been strategy for survival in a hostile world.

But the show often takes a lighter tone than that concept might initially imply. For example, an early segment focuses on Nora Lee (Jazzmin Carson), who so badly wants to know the truth about Johnny Earl’s (Michael Mejia-Mendez) feelings for her that she begs her auntie (Sieglinda Fox) to cook up a concoction that will work to give her certainty. In the three-part song “It’s In the Blood,” the action is played mostly for laughs, as Nora Lee clumsily tries to get at Johnny Earl with potions and spells.

There’s also humor in Fox’s sultry delivery of the song “I Love My Men,” in which she leaves no doubt how she enjoys herself. That number, “The Itch,” which involves a lot of physical business, and Act II’s gospel-infused “God’s Gonna Getcha,” led by Leon S. Pitts II as a reformed sinner-turned-preacher, are the crowd-pleasing hits of the show.

Not every lesson comes with music; an old fable about a man who lets a snake into his home (and suffers the consequences) and another about a meeting between a hen, a cow, an orange tree and a pig, are packaged more as skits. In fact, that’s a problem with Lies, Spells & Old Wives’ Tales. While individual scenes entertain or move (as in the late-in-the-show scenes “The Gifts They Gave Grandmama” and “Old Wives Tales”), the flow of the piece is not always cohesive. If viewers really want to discern clearly the narrative’s overall shape, they’re going to have to work harder for it than they should have to. And, painful though it may be, the creators should probably cut 15 or more minutes from the show, too.

That said, there’s a lot to like about Lies, Spells & Old Wives’ Tales, including a strolling violinist (Jonathan DeWitty), some engaging performances, and the aforementioned costumes. There are moments of the magic the Jacobses undoubtedly want to make here, but a tighter script could up the impact.

Lies, Spells & Old Wives’ Tales continues through May 17; for tickets, call (941) 366-1505 or visit westcoastblacktheatre.org.