Playing at Stamford TheatreWorks through February 20, the play is not for young children, but for an audience that is receptive to experiencing some of the savage treatment that is dished out to poor people.

That’s not to say that there isn’t humor, or that the play isn’t entertaining, but there are episodes from Dr Holland’s life, like when she was raped when she was 11-years old, or some of the birthing scenes, or when she was a stripper, that some members of the audience will find uncomfortable.

What this reviewer found fascinating was the variable roles assumed by the three talented actresses. In addition to playing males and females of various ages, Starla Benford, Kim Gainer and Tonye Patano also (all) portrayed the Heroine, weaving in and out of that character like a piece of contrapuntal music.

Those with a well-trained ear will be impressed by the subtleties of different Southern and Northern accents that director Catrina Ganey used throughout the play to further define where the characters were in the depicted time frame.

There was a personal passion for this play, both from actors and the director. For Catrina Ganey, who had acted in this play at the Arkansas Repertory Theatre, directing From the Mississippi Delta has been a long-cherished dream.

It is an interesting aside that the music heard in this production was inadvertently discovered by Ms Ganey on a trip to a small town in Texas. So came the association with blues composers Bob Beach and D.C. Fitzgerald. Music, as it is in Afro-American culture, is an important part of daily life, and that is mirrored throughout this production.

This play encapsulates the sense of community that is an integral fact of the rural south. It also looks at the impact of the Civil Rights Movement on that region, both from the point of view of Dr Holland and her family and from the standpoint of effects on the South.

In a post-play talk, the consensus of the cast and director was that the message of the play they hoped the audience would take away with them was that each of us finds our own path to deal with their own personal “Mississippi Delta.” In other words, face what often appears to be an insurmountable challenge and try and overcome or make it work for you.

Actress Kim Gainer pointed out that after having read Dr Holland’s book, the play is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg.

The play is most interesting to watch. Yet the production was experienced from afar, experienced only as an observer. Ideally a play will totally absorb a viewer. Admiration for Dr Holland, respect for those involved and an empathy for the struggles that persist are all felt, yet something is missing and this reviewer is at a loss to name what that is.

(For further information call the Stamford TheatreWorks box office at 203/359-4414.)