Memory plays, such as, can be a director's best friend; they alternate between past and present on a single stage set, and presented in minimalist form, they stretch the limits and creativity of a director's imagination and stagecraft. We are asked to accept a classroom and then an automobile interior in the same stage space; now an office which morphs into the Christmas dinner table. All with lights, actors and eight chairs.

These basic elements provide the basis of The Strollers production of A.R. Gurney's Indian Blood at the Burgdorff Center, running through Saturday, March 20 (that's tonight at 8!).

The play is set one year after World War II has ended. Sixteen-year-old Eddie (Charlie Sachs) has been suspended from school--with the help of rat fink cousin Lambert (played by Liam Longstreet). But Eddie's alibi for the moxie that led to his rakish escapade is simply his "Indian blood," having been told that he is part Seneca. Geeky cousin Lambert also has Indian blood, preparing us for some of the racial questions later posed by the playwright.

We learn of Eddie's transgression in the opening minutes of the play, which affects each subsequent scene to sometimes hilarious effect. Eddie's act provides the thrust for his adolescent discovery and coming of age among the constraints of an archetypically WASP Buffalo family.

"Plays are like algebra—you work with what you've got," explains Eddie mid-show. And what Gurney has given the play is too much dialogue (and some overwritten monologues) and some rigid character conceits to preach about the frustrations of race relations and crusty laments about change. At 100+ minutes with no intermission, Gurney's wordiness stagnates what he himself bills as a comedy.

Despite the script's shortcomings, The Strollers manage to key in on much of what is identifiable in all of our families. Charlie Sachs as Eddie started slowly but quickly hit his stride; nimbly skewering his family's foibles and inconsistencies. Borrowing from the Our Town tradition, he alone breaks the "fourth wall" of the theater to comment directly to the audience on his predicament. It's a formidable role, as Eddie is onstage for the entire play, and Sachs stays focused and grounded throughout.

The balance of the cast is not quite up to the level of characterization needed in order to define this cut-out family; the exceptions being the Grandmother and the Grandfather. The old folks steal the show. Grandmother (Cynthia Ross) commands the family as the willful but vulnerable matriarch; her emotional collapses are both heartfelt and funny. Grandfather (David Halpert) does the heavy thematic lifting, and his scene with Eddie in his office is the most resonant of the play.

For the most part, director Bob Coe keeps you engaged through the evening, and he is able to isolate the comedic moments well. But many dramatic exchanges and builds to new actions and changes are rushed, and there are a few scenes (the living room scene in particular) that dragged, as the characters seemed at a loss to fill the time with their own objectives and inner life. The final (important) surprise that Grandfather has for Eddie needed more indulgence and focus. Other inconsistencies were noticeable—a "freeze" of the actors while Eddie addressed the audience was used only once, and at one point Eddie's parents simply throw their coats to the unseen help, which seemed sharply out of character.

The sparse set works well, and Coe has choreographed the scene changes well, using the actors to change each locale in character using only the bent back chairs. The production's judicious use of projections and subtle light changes were just the right touch; coaxing us into the new scene and leaving just enough to the imagination.

Grandfather's summation that, in the end, "we're all in the same tribe" delivers an upbeat, thoughtful coda to Indian Blood that makes it worth the journey.

The Strollers production of Indian Blood closes Saturday, March 20. Showtime is at 8PM and tickets are available at www.thestrollers.com or 800-838-3006.