"Nuts" is a courtroom drama that takes place in real time. Even the recesses align with the play's two intermissions.

The 1979 script by Tom Topor provides a good start for the new season at St. Louis Actors' Studio.

The occasion for the play is a sanity hearing in the psychiatric wing of Bellevue Hospital. The defendant is Claudia Faith Draper, a high-priced call girl accused of murdering a client. It's clear that something strange is going on when Claudia's stepfather refuses to shake hands with her lawyer.

Claudia is at odds with her respectable, middle-class parents because she believes they are conspiring with the prosecution and her psychiatrist to have her declared unfit to stand trial. This ploy for avoiding publicity terrifies Claudia because she knows a psychiatric confinement can be extended indefinitely.

She has good reason to worry. Her insistence that there is a conspiracy against her fits right in with her psychiatrist's diagnosis of paranoia. Claudia's erratic behavior in the courtroom does not help her case. The emotional temperature remains low in the first act, but it creates plenty of doubt about the outcome of the hearing.

The second act comes to life when Claudia's parents testify. As the stepfather, John Contini creates a gripping portrait of a man whose secrets and composure unravel at the same time. Donna Weinsting brings genuine pathos to her portrayal of a mother who is overwhelmed by circumstances. Her reaction to her husband's testimony is especially affecting.

Claudia takes the stand in the third act, and her defiance finally works on her behalf in Lara Buck's impressive performance.

William Roth as Claudia's attorney and Alan McClintock as the prosecutor perform with lawyerly professionalism.

Bob Harvey as the judge presides over the trial with impeccable objectivity, offering no clue about what the verdict will be. Steve Callahan effectively portrays of the psychiatrist as a petty bureaucrat. Keith Thompson is the court officer, and Rachel Visocan is the recorder.

Milt Zoth's direction keeps the action moving fluidly on the handsome set designed by Cristie Johnson, which fits the entire cast on the small stage of the Gaslight Theater without making anyone face away from the audience. The production also benefits from the costumes by Jennifer "JC" Krajicek, the lighting by Sean Savoie, the props by Amy J. Paige and the sound by Robin Weatherall.

'Nuts'

Who • St. Louis Actors' Studio

When • 8 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday; 3 p.m. Sunday. Through Oct. 23.

Where • The Gaslight Theater, 358 North Boyle Avenue

How much • $25; $20 for older people and students

More info • 314-458-2978; stlas.org