The strength of a play cannot rely on a good script alone. Likewise, good actors cannot make up for terrible writing. Thankfully, eleemosynary, currently on stage at Tacoma Little Theatre, features a great script with a trio of delightfully talented actors bringing it to life. Written by Lee Blessing, eleemosynary alternates between narration and dialogue to tell the story of three generations of women. It is a smartly written script that covers the range of emotions and family experiences. 

Director Elliot Weiner has an eye for talent and design readily apparent in the aesthetic choices he made. The set is minimal but beautiful. Consisting of fabric, metal and books, each element represents one of the three women in the play. Weiner chose lighting and sound that enhance the play and help the women tell their story. Weiner's choice of actors guaranteed a solid production.

Jody McCoy plays eccentric matriarch, Dorothea, with a naturalness captivating to watch. Samantha Camp, Artie (Dorothea's daughter), brings humor and honesty to the struggle that women can have when they are caught between generations. Danielle Powell plays Echo, Artie's daughter. Powell easily holds her own with her more experienced counterparts. Each of the actors effortlessly shows their character's desires and what they are willing to do to get what they want.

Even though the cast is all female, Weiner is correct in stating in his notes on the work, "eleemosynary is not a play for women only. The conflict between mother and child (times two) has played out in most of our lives." Indeed, there is much to identify with in the 80-minute play. Weiner continues ". . . we all try to be what the next one needs; we never come close."

The cast brings beauty and humor to the struggle of maintaining sense of self and fulfilling one's own needs while simultaneously trying to give to someone else. Even if you'd rather not read into the characters, and find pieces of your personal experience or understanding, eleemosynary is still a delightful piece of theater. McCoy, Camp and Powell work gracefully together to create a true ensemble performance.

Tacoma Little Theatre consistently puts on a great show at a fraction of the cost of other theaters. Their mission, "to enrich our community with quality live theatre experiences" as well as their five key values "self-esteem, empathy, collaboration, responsibility, and respect" are embodied by the plays they choose to produce. In eleemosynary, a character explains, "(w)e have this expectation to be extraordinary" - and this rings true of Tacoma Little Theatre with this production. At the end of the performance there were a minimum of five patrons heard commenting on the skill of the actors and their enjoyment of the play.

[Tacoma Little Theatre, eleemosynary, through Nov. 14, 7:30 p.m. Friday - Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday, $15, 210 N. I St, Tacoma, 253-272-2281]