Short Review: Family Cabins

A family tries desperately to help a daughter struggling with bipolar disease in this excellent original play. The four-person cast—Jennifer York and Dan Cohen as the parents, Shane Burrows as their son and Andrea Kersten as their troubled adopted daughter—delivers some of the most natural acting seen on local stages in a long time. The scenes of mania and mental distress are so real as to be discomfiting. Profits from the production benefit NAMI Sacramento, the local affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Thu 8pm, Fri 8pm, Sat 8pm. Through 3/10; $15-$20 (cash at the door); Howe Avenue Theater in Howe Avenue Park, 2201 Cottage Way; www.familycabinsplay.com. J.C.