Readers who live in the Washington , D.C. area should make reservations now to see Jjana Valentiner in “Funeral Potatoes,” her one-woman show about life in a Mormon family. The show plays in a small theater with fewer than 50 seats, and by the time you read this review there will only be eight performances remaining, so you had better make reservations now. It's an hour of theater that should delight Mormons.

Jjana did the original version of “Funeral Potatoes” a year or so ago, but since then she has won a competition sponsored by Mead Theatre Lab, and she has spent the last few months honing her writing, acting, and stagecraft. The result is worth seeing.

Jjana plays Meagan, a 19-year-old daughter in a Latter-day Saint family. Meagan's Dad is the bishop; her Mom is a gem, and (it appears) a full-time homemaker. Meagan's 15-year-old sister is – God forgive us – a “typical” American teenager who during the course of the play is sent to a drug rehab program in the desert. The youngest child, a brother, is at that age when Jesus and Yoda are pretty much interchangeable heroes.

This is a one-woman show, so Jjana plays them all, using an effective device for changing (and layering) costumes. Congratulations to her and her costume designer, Paul McCrae, for their ingenuity. (Watch out for when the Relief Society president turns around. Where did those fishnet stockings come from? Her hair is a whole ‘nother story.)

Yes, Jjana plays a Relief Society president. Also, Meagan's aunt from Las Vegas (the one with the potty mouth), a trail counselor at the drug rehab program (I loved that portrayal), and Meagan's grandfather, who makes the play possible by dying at the beginning (he appears in a flashback). You'll love Jjana's touching portrayal of grandpa with his bum leg and his once-illustrious, but now entirely faded, career as a high school coach.

Meagan is our able guide to her family and ward, but Meagan has a problem. She has been asked to be the sole speaker at her grandpa's funeral. Grandpa, however, left a legacy of philandering and irritability. What do you say about such a man? You'll enjoy the scene in which Meagan goes to her Bishop/father for advice, and the play ends with Meagan's eulogy.

Perhaps my favorite scene has Meagan's mother pleading with her Heavenly Father for a miracle in the life of the daughter who is in the drug rehab program. I suppose millions of mothers plead to God every day for their children, but how often does this fact find its way onto a downtown D.C. stage?

Then again, how many plays feature a flannel board? Too few! In “Funeral Potatoes” the flannel board is used when the Relief Society president teaches “good” and “bad” according to the Mormon view. The opening night audience was, as near as I could tell, almost exclusively non-LDS, and it was revealing to hear its responses to the lists. (Incidentally, Jjana, you've misspelled “tattoo.”)

All this, plus the audience gets a tasty treat to top off a charming and delightful evening.

Miss Valentiner moves seamlessly from one character to another. There might be an occasional delay over a costume change, but the emotions and depictions move flawlessly. The creator pulls this off because she has studied her craft, and is perfecting it on local stages. She has a BFA in acting from BYU and an MFA is classical theatre from D.C.'s Shakespeare Theater Academy at George Washington University . She has appeared off-Broadway in NYC, and in D.C. she's been seen at Arena Stage, the Forum Theater, and elsewhere. She's performed with D.C.'s Shakespeare Theatre Company. Later this year you can see Jjana in “One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest” and “Tartuffe.”

This is a play in which the background music is furnished by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and (more frequently) by LDS pop groups. You'll recognize some of the tunes if you've seen “Singles Ward” or similar films done for LDS audiences.

I need to add two caveats: First, in the interest of full disclosure, my name appears in the program as someone to whom the writer and performer owes thanks. This came as a surprise to me. If I am owed thanks it is only because I have known Miss Valentiner for some years and have encouraged her in her craft. This performance shows that my trust and encouragement were well placed.

Second, I add what might be called the “God's Army” disclaimer. I very much enjoyed that movie, but some didn't and often the complaints (it seemed to me) amounted to little more than that the film hadn't been written and produced in S.L.C. and Provo and approved by a general board.

“Funeral Potatoes” is about a Mormon family. It is written and performed by a Latter-day Saint. It is not, however, a Sunday School lesson. It contains a handful of words you would never hear from the pulpit. It revolves around a grandfather who married a wonderful Latter-day Saints woman but who was serially unfaithful to her. It shows a bishop's daughter who has been sent to the desert to get clean.

End of caveats and disclaimer.

“Funeral Potatoes” tells us of Mormon pioneers, Mormon life (including tithing), the Word of Wisdom, and the amount of time that a bishop spends away from his family.

Mormons will “get” the play and its allusions to an unusual people and way of life. Non-Mormons, it seems to me, will have to struggle a bit, but certainly the play is accessible to all. It is no more difficult than any other story where those with a knowledge of the subject are more likely to pick up on nuances than are others.

If you are LDS, this play was written with you in mind. Go see it – but hurry, it closes soon. Get there early enough to get an “orchestra” seat; the seats in the “wings” are not ideal.

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“Funeral Potatoes” is at the Mead Theatre Lab at Flashpoint, 916 G Street, Northwest , Washington , D.C. (about 100 yards from one of the Gallery Place Metro entrances).

Performances are Wednesday through Saturday only. The last performance is February 14. The play starts at 8 p.m. except on (spooky) Friday the 13 th when it has a special curtain time.

Tickets are $15 for general admission, and $12 for students, seniors, and artists (but see below for special deals).

Call 202-315-1321, or get tickets at flashpointdc.org.

Special prices are available on:

February 4, a “Recession Special” featuring a pay-what-you-can performance;

February 11, a “Feed the Need” event allowing admission with a donation to the D.C. Food Bank; and

February 14, a “Love the One You're With” special with two tickets for the price of one – and Valentine's Day themed treats!

“The New Yorker” magazine (of February 2) contains an article entitled, “Cheap Seats: The Affordable Art of Concert Going” which explains how the author was able to take in 10 quality events in NYC for just $81. We can start to show how sophisticated and money-wise the D.C. crowd is by taking in the fun and reasonably priced “Funeral Potatoes.”

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