Paul Grellong’s Power of Sail, a play that premiered at South Carolina’s Warehouse Theatre in 2019, has made its way west for a second production. Breaking Bad’s Bryan Cranston stars as Charles Nichols, a Harvard professor who has outraged colleagues and students by inviting a white nationalist to speak on campus. Nichols ignores the criticism, convinced he can take down the divisive visitor in a public debate. Opposite Cranston, Amy Brenneman plays Amy Katz, an earnest academic dean. Weyni Mengesha, who has worked in both film and theater, directs the play’s Los Angeles debut. —J.D.