From Ties That Bind Three Sisters, A Play Bound to Be Remembered

One of the reasons for the enduring popularity of Wendy Wasserstein's play "The Sisters Rosensweig" is that it's still unusual, 13 years after its debut, to find so many indelible portraits of women in one work, even rarer to have them be 40 and older.

Wasserstein creates three unique personalities that share the same family background, which allows us to see just how much influence the women's choices might have had in their situations. Rockville Little Theatre has a lot to work with in its staging of Wasserstein's play, succeeding in presenting vibrant portrayals of Wasserstein's women in a production also notable for the Washington area debut of a standout actor.

"The Sisters Rosensweig" finds three Jewish American sisters reuniting in London to celebrate the 54th birthday of Sara, vividly played by newcomer Tamara Phillips, the eldest sister and a successful banker with several divorces in her past. Over several days at Sara's stylish townhouse, each sister is forced to face their lives and how they define themselves. It's a sort of Jewish "Steel Magnolias," which makes it fitting that one of these sisters, with the unlikely name Gorgeous, is played by Jeanne Latter, who played good-ol'-gal Truvy in Potomac Theatre Company's bright staging of "Steel Magnolias" last season.

Gorgeous has stayed closest to the Rosensweig family roots, marrying a lawyer and raising a family in the Jewish enclave of Newton, Mass., just outside Boston. The third sister is Pfeni, played by Ellen Cole. Pfeni, at 40, is the youngest. She stays on the go as a travel writer, enduring relationships with men who are ultimately unattainable, such as her current longtime beau, bisexual London theater director Geoffrey Duncan, flamboyantly played here by Lew Hages.

It is fascinating to see how Wasserstein maintains the strength of each woman, even though it is the men in their lives who often act as the catalysts for change. She throws in more than a curve or two, providing surprises in strength and character, and exposing vulnerabilities where they might not seem evident. This drama, leavened with moments of merriment and whimsy, is rich with American Jewish cultural touchstones, but broad enough that it is emotionally accessible to all.

Director David Levin has assembled a fine ensemble cast, held together by Phillips, who is making her area stage debut after having performed in New York, London and Los Angeles. Phillips has a potent stage presence with a marvelously textured voice and an expressive face, both of which can present conflicting emotions and varying combinations of strength and vulnerability simultaneously. Her special talent is perfect for the role, as Sara is a woman with an aloofness bordering on the austere that is a mask for her repressed emotional fragility. Phillips is so vibrant a presence onstage that she makes Sara's giving in to the attentions of a visiting New York furrier named Merv, played with brassy elan by Jim Epstein, believable and consistent with the woman's personality.

Latter also has a challenging role, as Gorgeous is both the most outlandish and the most conventional character rolled into one. She chafes against being considered a stereotype, even as she embraces many cultural conventions, showcasing outward confidence in which her insecurities nevertheless stand out.

Levin has carefully calibrated the performances, seeing that the sisters maintain distinct body language in the presence of the others who visit Sara's home, but relax into familial gestures and tones when alone -- emphasizing that whatever the pressures of the outside world, especially their difficulty in relationships with men, their bond as sisters remains strong and true.

"The Sisters Rosensweig" continues through Feb. 4, performed by Rockville Little Theatre at F. Scott Fitzgerald Theatre, 603 Edmonston Dr., Rockville Civic Center Park. Showtime Fridays and Saturdays is 8 p.m. Tickets are $14; $12, seniors and students; $7, 12 and younger; call the box office at 240-314-8690. For information, visithttp://www.rlt-online.org.