I was fortunate enough to get the last two seats to Friday night's performance of Renaissance Theaterworks' "String of Pearls." I say fortunate because I noticed a woman trying to sweet talk her way into the show as I entered the theater, and she was willing to wait to see if there were any no-shows so that she could take their seat. As far as I could tell, she was out of luck. No one wanted to miss this performance.

Indeed, the play was delightful. Most impressive was the fascinating character development and insightful exploration of relationships. Some characters we met only briefly, while others we spent more time with. Each woman shared a piece of her heart, whether they were funny, astute, homely, enduring or familiar. Surely each woman in the predominantly female audience could recognize pieces of her own experience on stage.

The play examined a variety of feminine roles: mother, daughter, granddaughter, great-grandmother, sister, wife, lover, victim, betrayer, betrayed, professional and friend. It tied together and interwove the characters, roles and relationships in an ingenious way that told enough, but not too much. Certainly, the actors' faces and stories are bound to revisit me in the strangest of moments.

The play did well in demonstrating that good theater doesn't depend on its set, because the stage had just a few simple chairs. The four actresses did an outstanding job of portraying their many characters and worked well together in effectively presenting a play that was both entertaining and thoughtful.