There's one thing missing from North Coast Repertory Theatre's production of Paul Osborn's "Morning's at Seven." Regrettably, the powers that be have overlooked that pesky apostrophe in Osborn's title, so that it would seem he's now talking about several mornings. Problem is, there's only one morning in Osborn's play, which takes place all in the course of 24 hours. What's more, the title "Morning's at Seven" was taken word for word (apostrophe, even!) from a poem by Robert Browning.

Though they're tried to change the title, North Coast Rep has done a fine job giving life to "Morning's at Seven," apostrophe or not.

Dismissed by many as too homespun and quiet a comedy for the Big Apple, Osborn's play came and went quickly when it first appeared on Broadway in 1939. It took a couple of high-profile revivals (in 1980 and 2002) to really put "Morning's at Seven" and its Midwestern milieu on the map. In recent years, it has thrived on the regional circuit.

Making her North Coast debut, director Tracy Williams has assembled some of the area's finest veteran actors to play an assortment of nine characters.

Centered around the four Gibbs sisters, "Morning's at Seven" takes place in the adjoining backyards of the houses of two of them, Cora and Ida. Cora (Veronica Murphy) lives in the tidy yellow house on the left with her husband Thor (Todd Blakesley) and the youngest Gibbs sister, Aary (Lynne Griffin). Next door is the weathered blue-grey house where 40-year-old Homer (Sean Sullivan) lives with his parents, the vague Ida (Sullivan's real-life mother, Diane Sinor) and her foggy husband Carl (Jonathan McMurtry), whose backyard is complete with unruly weeds to contrast with Cora and Thor's immaculate lawn (nicely designed by Marty Burnett).

Jonathan McMurty and Lynne Griffin

Copyright©2008 Aaron Rumley

It's as strange an extended family as ever, with Homer coming home today to introduce the family for the first time to his paramour of 12 years, Myrtle (Crystal Sershen). Cora longs to finally move away with her husband to a house of their own, without Aary, with whom Thor seems to be carrying on. And eldest sister Esther (Dagmar Krause Fields) is having trouble even stopping by to see her three sisters, with pompous husband David (Eric Poppick) and his unreasonable demands.

It's difficult to single out performances in such a well-crafted ensemble piece as this, but there are more than a few. Griffin lends a nice touch to Aary, the spinster sister and sole unattached character, merrily humming a period tune like "After the Fair" and bonding with the out-of-place Myrtle (an endearingly awkward Sershen) over a small thing like an appliqued quilt.

Fields is a wonderfully understated Esther, and though she wouldn't appear to be the eldest of the four actresses, she more than makes up for it with a strong presence suitable for a sibling who has always watched out for the others.

The ever reliable McMurtry plays Carl (and his troublesome "spells") with a sure hand, hugging trees, shaking his fist at the sky and wondering "Where am I?"

At times, I too wondered where I was. Though "Morning's at Seven" is ostensibly set in a bygone era of middle America (right down to costume designer Roslyn Lehman's comfy-looking housefrocks), the family dynamics of Osborn's play echo even today.

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