The play, translated by Edward Kemp, is set in Jerusalem in 1192, during Sultan Saladin's reign. Nathan, a wealthy Jewish merchant, returns from a trip abroad to find his beloved daughter rescued from a fire by a crusading Knight Templar. Et voila, three religions at odds on their holy ground are united - first unwillingly, and later, joyously.

Nathan is played here with understatement and humility by David Strathairn, a film (Good Night and Good Luck, Cold Souls, and the forthcoming Howl), TV (The Sopranos), and theater veteran who also is a veteran of People's Light (Sally's Gone, She Left Her Name).

Lessing uses a Shakespearean comedic framework filled with hidden identities and misguided love, though Nathan, a paragon of patience and clear thinking, is the opposite of Shylock. Weaker temperaments might crumble under the pressure to constantly prove that, yes, Jews are in fact multifaceted and occasionally exemplary human beings. But Nathan has avoided the pyre long enough to know when to avert his eyes, when to open his arms, and when to open his mouth.

Lessing was much criticized by his German contemporaries for this positive portrayal of a Jew (based on his friend, Enlightenment philosopher Moses Mendelssohn), and never saw the play produced in his lifetime.

In it, he borrows more from the Jews than Mendelssohn's good character. His male principals echo a Passover story about four sons - one wise, one wicked, one simple, and one who knows no better.

Luigi Sottile's young Templar has the most to learn, and is a standout as a hot-tempered zealot who careens between sympathy for and hatred of Nathan. He, along with Brian Anthony Wilson's simple accountant Al-Hafi, ably provides the script's comic entertainment.

Peter DeLaurier's plotting Patriarch is about as wicked as they come, while Strathairn's Nathan, Graham Smith's kind Lay Brother, and Stephen Novelli's reasonable ruler Saladin spread the mantle of good-natured wisdom among all three religions for once, which is nice.

Director Abigail Adams is instructive without being didactic, and gentle without being soft. She shapes a production that builds slowly - perhaps too slowly during its first act - but ultimately rewards the audience with a charming portrayal of religious and cultural pluralism, complete with everyone holding hands in a circle, also quite nice.

Wilson Chin's design unifies the theme with sand-colored temples, mosques, and Roman arches, while Marla Jurglanis' resplendent robes and overcoats play up the subtle and not-so-subtle similarities and differences between each group.

Nathan the Wise is a great match for families with children able to sit without squirming for two hours. Combined with People's Light's new preshow hour of relevant background discussion, it should make for a thought-provoking ride home.

Just make sure to turn off the talk radio beforehand.

Nathan the Wise

Through Oct. 11 at People's Light & Theatre, 39 Conestoga Rd., Malvern. Tickets: $29-$48. Information: 610-644-3500 or www.peopleslight.org.