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Apparently, stamp collecting is risky.  Risky enough to get you punched in the face.  Risky enough to bring up unresolved family issues.  Even risky enough to get you covered in Fritos.  What the heck am I talking about?  Mauritius:  a suspenseful comedy thriller by NYPD Blue writer and Peabody Award winner, Theresa Rebeck.  And it happens to be the first offering of the Seattle Public Theater’s 2010-2011 season.

Mauritius tells the story of two half sisters who must divide their deceased mother’s belongings.  They find a rare stamp collection and, as siblings will after the death of a parent, begin to argue about ownership and value and history.  Which sister actually owns the stamps?  What are they worth — both financially and emotionally? Who can the sisters trust to evaluate the collection?  Can the sisters trust each other?

Not only is the play well-written, the casting was fantastic.  Mark Fullerton completely physically embodied his character, Phillip.  Carolyn Marie Monroe played young Jackie with much passion.  Heather Hawkins’ Mary was spot-on in everything she did.  Joseph P. McCarthy made a tremendously believable but comedic asshole.  And John Murray took his Dennis character by the balls and drove him around the stage all night.

Speaking of the stage — designers and set crew managed to totally transform the sparse set with simple, efficient changes.  Blink twice, and you find the actors hopping into their next scene in a totally different building.  Very well done.  The Bathhouse Theater is so intimate you can make direct eye contact with the actors. One audience member even added her own dialogue.

The Seattle Public Theather’s 2010-2011 season is in full swing at Green Lake’s historic Bathhouse Theater.  This year’s offerings are:

• Theresa Rebeck’s suspenseful comedy thriller, Mauritius (October 1-24)
• My Wonderful Day, a family comedy by Alan Ayckbourne (Jan 27, 2011 – Feb 20th)
• Julie Marie Myatt’s The Happy Ones, a tragically funny drama (Mar 17-Apr 10)
• George Bernard Shaw’s Arms and the Man — a classic (May 19-Jun 12)

Holiday offerings include:

• Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol by Tom Mula (Dec 2-24)
• Barbara Robinson’s The Best Christmas Pageant Ever (Dec 9 – Dec 24)

Single and season tickets are one sale now.  Get yours here.