A blindfolded and handcuffed man in tattered clothes sits cross-legged on the floor. When the lights come up we see Michael Wells (Paul Morgavo), an American hostage in Beirut. He is mentally writing a letter to his wife, Lainie (Rebecca Johannsen).

Lainie sits in Michael’s office, which is symbolically darkened and stripped of furniture. She tries desperately to hope and to control her mounting despair about Michael’s future.

Ellen Van Oss (Julie Sachs), the State Department official assigned to the case, visits on occasion, spouting bureaucratese and trying to persuade Lainie not to give an interview to journalist Walker Harris (Landon Vaughn), which she feels could only make things worse.

“The government must have secrets,” she says in that infuriatingly matter-of-fact bureaucratic way, and “We’re doing all we can.”

Time drags on. Walker continues to visit and to try to convince Lainie that going public is the only thing that can save Michael. It is this conflict that invites reflection on how hostage crises can and should be handled.

In the light of 9/11, Lee Blessing’s 1988 play may seem almost quaint and innocent, yet hostage-taking continues and the very real agony is clear whether the victims number just one or 3,000.

Stone Soup Theatre Company begins its third season with this thought-provoking drama, commissioned and first presented by La Jolla Playhouse. The rather Spartan ambience of The Firehouse, the former fire station on Herschel Avenue in La Jolla, giving a sense of deprivation and loss, serves this play well. Theater patrons will appreciate the new seats that will soon replace the hodgepodge currently in use.

Morgavo and Johannsen are excellent. Morgavo’s Michael struggles to be understanding and philosophical while deep down the panic sets in. Johannsen’s Lainie, fighting her own demons along with the establishment represented by Ellen and Walker, barely manages to keep herself together.

Vaughn’s journalist makes the most change, as Walker begins in pursuit of his story with the persistence of a bulldog and gradually comes to realize that there are more important things to consider.

Sachs is every bit as unlikable as we all know government bureaucrats to be. But she’s so good; it’s difficult not to want to see more of her.

Stone Soup has recently redefined its mission as dedicated to bringing important social issues to the forefront and create a unique experience between actors and audience members. Two Rooms is an excellent place to start.

Two Rooms plays through Sept. 26 at The Firehouse YMCA, 7877 Herschel Ave., La Jolla. Shows Fri. and Sat at 8:00 p.m.; Sun. at 2:00 and 7:00 p.m. Tickets: Call (858) 459-1640.