The Cattell Theatre operates by different rules than the Mainstage at the Theatre of Western Springs, says TWS Director Bill Hammack. Audiences know to prepare for a often different, riskier—risquér?—experience.

In Mauritius, that edgier experience comes courtesy of philately. That is, stamps. Stamps that drive people into a frenzy of author Theresa Rebeck’s famed “bad behavior:” betrayal, profane nastiness, violence and unrepentant self-interest.

The five players of Mauritius—naïve, geeky Mary (Susan Cardamone,) her shrewd and tormented half-sister Jackie, (Karen Arnold,) condescending stamp-expert Philip (Rob Nardini,) foulmouthed affluent enthusiast Sterling (J. D. Murphy) and young, savvy hotshot Dennis (David Rodriguez)—war over control of two pristine examples of the rarest stamps in existence: the Mauritius 1847, one of the first stamps ever issued.

Legend holds that the stamps are also uniquely flawed, making them absurdly valuable to a cast of characters who are all also uniquely flawed.

“The interesting thing about this play, not to get too moralistic, is that things go to hell in a handbasket partly in view of the fact that people value things over [other] people,” said director Adrienne Cury, a second-time TWS director. “It’s two freaking slips of paper! It’s like, are you kidding me? But we see people do this all the time.”

Playwright Rebeck, who is very recently in the national spotlight as NBC curries the positive buzz for her brand-new musical-drama TV series Smash, is known for writing about people’s vile actions, which has earned her comparisons to famed Glengarry Glen Ross scribe David Mamet. In the case of Mauritius, the comparisons have sometimes been less positive, due to the theme matter being similar to Mamet’s American Buffalo.

Hammack, who knows his Mamet, calls that view wrong. “I think it’s unfair that people tend to call it a Mamet ripoff, because it’s not,” the Theatre Director said. “It’s very much on a different plane… Mamet’s dialogue is completely different from Rebek’s, except that [they’ve both] got a lot of four-letter words.”

Which leads into: don’t bring the kids. The language is beyond foul, as is the violence, including at one point an all-out brawl with potentially mortal consequences.

Such physical choreography is a rarity on the intimate Cattell stage (frequent TWS fight-choreography consultant Rick Gilbert has helped out,) and requires particular devotion to remain convincing so close to audience eyes.

“The people are fighting tooth and nail,” Cury said. “the stakes are really high for them… but the way they compete with each other and the way they fight is at times truly funny.”

Mauritius runs at the Theatre of Western Springs on Feb. 9, 10, 11, 16 and 17 at 8:00 p.m., Feb. 12, 18 and 19 at 2:30 p.m. and September 12 at 7:30 p.m.