A tough, smart and cynical take on American morality, Mauritius is one of the best productions to be seen in Los Angeles in many a day. Originally produced in Boston, then honed in New York at the Manhattan Theater Club in 2007, the play deals with five people vying for control of two of the most valuable stamps on the philatelic market today. Issued by the island of Mauritius when it was a 19th century British colony, the stamps are discovered by a young girl, Jackie (the remarkable Kristen Kollender), when she's in the process of packing up her recently deceased grandmother's house. Jackie is young, working class and uneducated -- but her street smarts kick in when she finds the stamps and senses that they might be worth something.
She takes the book to a local stamp shop run by a shlubby guy named Philip (a well-cast John Billingsley). He won't even give her the time of day, much less evaluate the collection, but a hanger-on named Dennis (Chris L. McKenna) nearly freaks out when he spies the Mauritius "post office" stamps.
Question is, are they real or not? Philip insists they're fakes, but Dennis, a slick-talking guy on the make, argues to the contrary.
The scene shifts to the grandmother's house where Jackie is confronted by her step-sister Mary (Monette Magrath), who tries to take possession of the book, insisting that it was part of her inheritance. Jackie, smelling a rat -- and reminding Mary that she long ago walked out on the family -- fights like hell to fend her sibling off.
The battle heats up even more when Jackie, now armed with internet info, returns to the stamp shop for a meeting with Dennis and Sterling (Ray Abruzzo), the shady money man the former has brought into the "negotiation." Each of these rivals tries to cajole, outwit and/or con the other. Their cat-and-mouse games are brilliantly written, replete with pungent and profane dialogue worthy of David Mamet. The stakes are raised when Philip and Mary re-enter and try to pull off a scam of their own.
The spectacle of greedy people fighting tooth and nail over an inheritance is very American -- and highly enjoyable as well. The play becomes a suspenseful thriller, thanks to Rebeck's visceral script and the uniformly excellent acting and directing. Tom Buderwitz's slick revolving set also helps make Mauritius the success it is.
