St. Louis Actors' Studio has concluded each of its three seasons with an original script written for the occasion. The first two efforts were disappointing. The third time is the charm.

This year's première is "The State of Marriage," conceived and directed by Joan Lipkin in collaboration with JT Ricroft. The play, which is co-produced by Lipkin's troupe, That Uppity Theatre Company, is an enjoyable evening of theater and has the potential to grow more satisfying with further development.

The theme of Actors' Studio's third season, "Love and Honor," gave Lipkin an opportunity to respond to the 2008 passage of California Proposition 8, which overturned the state Supreme Court's ruling that same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marry. Lipkin displays her usual flair for political mockery in "The State of Marriage," but the play is also poignant in its plea for marriage equality.

Mike Van Allen and Laura Coppinger nicely portray a picture-perfect couple who are about to get married at the start of the play. Their trip down the aisle is interrupted by a rumble that knocks them off their feet. Their bridesmaids explain that the sound is coming from the social upheaval surrounding same-sex marriage.

As the bride and groom learn about the current state of marriage law, the play documents the frustrations and inequalities gay and lesbian couples must endure. Bridesmaids are an inspired choice for delivering this message because they, like same same-sex couples, cannot play the leading part in a conventional wedding. The bridesmaids display lots of attitude in sassy performances by Leon Braxton (aka Dieta Pepsi), Theresa Masters and Sara Hamilton.

The emotional core of the play is the stories of two couples (Keith Thompson, James Slover, Sally Eaton and Lynda Levy Clark, all excellent) in committed same-sex relationships. Eventually, the couples are part of a group that takes a bus to Iowa, where they can participate in a legal wedding ceremony.

Troy Turnipseed is very funny as the host of Leviticus Limbo, a game-show parody that takes aim at religiously based arguments for traditional marriage. Alice Kinsella is the picture of warmth as a sympathetic rabbi. Carl Overby and Chris Brenner perform well in a number of small parts.

The audience sits on three sides of a long, narrow set by Patrick Huber. The staging effectively uses the floor space and a platform at one end of the room. Angela Grewe and Lipkin contributed costumes, and many other people donated the bridesmaids' dresses that line the walls.

In a nod to the local cabaret scene, "The State of Marriage" features a different wedding singer at each performance. Deborah Sharn was the splendid soloist on opening night. Slices of wedding cake are handed out at the end of the evening, so even the unconvinced can at least satisfy their sweet tooth.