An exceptional cast and a gorgeous set are the highlights of the Milwaukee Chamber Theater's production of Mauritius, Theresa Rebeck's contemporary drama. The plot revolves around a deceased relative's stamp collection, which may or may not be extremely valuable. Although the topic of stamp collecting sounds dull, Rebek artfully uses it as a device to make her points about human relationships and the things people truly value.
Mauritius had a brief Broadway run in 2007, starring F. Murray Abraham (who won an Oscar for his role as Antonio Salideri in "Amadeus").
Rebeck achieves her purpose by setting up a battle between two adult sisters. One of them wants to sell the collection, while the other wants to donate it to a museum. Without a will to prove the collection's true ownership, the sisters square off.
As the play opens, Jackie, the younger sister, is trying to get a handle on the stamp collection's value. She finds her way to the quiet, dusty shop owned by Philip, a stamp dealer. She tells him she knows nothing about stamps. But the crotchety Philip refuses to look at the collection. He's had to dash the hopes of too many novices who think their stamps may be worth a fortune. However, a guy about Jackie's age is hanging around the shop. He overhears their conversation and offers to take a look at the stamps. Philip suddenly comes to life and warns Jackie that Dennis is no authority on stamps. Still, Dennis is stunned by what he sees. Among Jackie's stamps is a rare pair from the tropical island of Mauritius (rhymes with "suspicious"). They could be worth millions. But are they real?
As Jackie tries to find out, her sister Mary is going through the other things belonging to their recently deceased mother. It seems that the mother's only thing of value was her father's stamp collection. Meanwhile, word of the rare stamps starts to spread. Dennis mentions them to Sterling, a mobster with an odd passion for stamps. Sterling is so excited about the prospect of owning the rare stamps that he buys them from Jackie before Philip, the stamp expert, can confirm their value. Unfortunately, this is where the script really comes unraveled. Too many questions stretch one's sense of disbelief. Why doesn't Jackie take the stamps to another dealer after Philip snubs her? Why does Dennis veer between being a con man and a friend? What long-ago event caused the strained relationship between the sisters? What happened after Mary left home? Why was Jackie's life with her mother so horrible? Rebeck chooses to leave these questions hanging.
What she does solve is the "mystery" about the stamps' value (although this isn't terribly difficult to guess). There's a neat twist at the very end of Mauritius that somewhat salvages the plot.
Producing artistic director C. Michael Wright, as Philip, leads the five-member cast. The playwright doesn't reveal Philip's story, either. We learn that something involving Sterling may have caused a rift between Philip and his wife. But we never find out exactly what it is, or if Sterling was involved.
Actor Jonathan Wainwright makes an exceptional impression as Dennis, the young con man with a heart of gold. Wainwright plays well off of Drew Brhel as Sterling. Brhel is terrific as this multi-layered character with a shadowy background. As Jackie, Sara Zientek also nails her part as a young adult thrust into a position for which she is unprepared. At first Jackie appears somewhat naïve. As portrayed by Zientek, Jackie soon demonstrates some tough, streetwise survival skills (although we never really find out why she needs them). Finally, Betsy Skowbo is entirely convincing as the guilty older sister who is unable to come to terms with her negative feelings toward her mother. Mary's oft-mentioned devotion to her grandfather (the stamp collection's creator) comes off as sounding rather hollow. Perhaps she is trying to make amends for past deeds by "doing the right thing" with the stamp collection?
In any event, Mauritius provides enough laughter and suspense to make it worth seeing. The show also offers a beautifully realistic set. The lighting and street sounds heighten the set's appeal as a real place in a real environment.
