You’ve got to love Tennessee Williams. Not only did he do gorgeous things with words, but he also had the subtle wit to name a family of German tourists in “The Night of the Iguana” - now being staged by MorrisCo Art Theatre - Fahrenkopf, which literally translates as “travel head.”

And because the play focuses on two troubled, middle-aged people who have no home and do nothing but travel, the moniker achieves an additional resonance.

Set in a rundown hotel in Mexico - managed by lusty, newly widowed Maxine (Laurie Atwood) - “Iguana” initially focuses on Larry Shannon (Glenn Bugala), an embittered tour guide and former minister with a weakness for young girls. When a penniless painter named Hannah (Colby Halloran) arrives, with her 96 year-old poet grandfather (Robert Green) in tow, she develops an unlikely friendship with Shannon.

From a technical standpoint, “Iguana” is an extremely tough show to stage. Two actors have to appear to carry a captured, live iguana across the stage, and a storm must be visually conveyed, to name only a couple of the script’s challenges.

MorrisCo’s ambitious amateur production fulfills these requirements with varying degrees of success. Cynthia Lempert and Mark Savickas’ set - which must feature the doors to three of the hotel’s rooms, a terrace, a verandah, and an office - paints the scene quite nicely, as do Wendy Fritz’s props, and a partly-covered fake iguana more than does the job.

However, the sound cues for wind, which appear and disappear suddenly throughout the first act, seem jarring, and Nelson Burton’s lighting design sometimes errs on the side of being a hair too dim.

In terms of acting, Atwood provided some of the first act’s finest moments on Friday night, and in supporting roles, Green and Patricia Rector both performed well. Bugala, meanwhile, does decent work with a bear of a role (Shannon is widely considered to be one of Williams’ most challenging characters to crack). And while Halloran briefly struggled with a key speech in the first act, when the play came down to a soul-bearing conversation between Shannon and Hannah, I found myself actually holding my breath with anticipation.

The discussion is the crux of the Williams’ show, and it’s well worth the wait. The two characters gradually reveal themselves to each other, reminding us, in the same way that the film “Lost in Translation” did a few years ago, that “home” can be as simple as a fellow human being who comes to understand you. Bugala and Halloran are at their best in this scene, as is Williams, making for one of those highly elusive moments of theater magic.

Credit for this also goes to director Susan Morris, of course, who seems to particularly hit her stride during the show’s quiet, subtle moments. And while the play’s myriad challenges make it easy to understand why “Iguana” isn’t produced often, I’m glad MorrisCo had the courage to take the plunge.

Jenn McKee is the entertainment digital journalist for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at jennmckee@annarbor.com or 734-623-2546, and follow her on Twitter @jennmckee.