The appropriately named Darius Wheeler is a dealer specializing in Asian art. He meets Dr. Setsuko Hearn, a scholar of Asian art, and is smitten. The question is, does he truly fall in love with her, or is she merely another Asian treasure for him to possess and admire?

Johnny Ali Heyward as Darius and Jamie George as Setsuko play off each other well, with their guardedness and growing flirtations creating a compelling dynamic.

John is Darius' assistant, a brilliant and creative man who admires his intelligent but ruthless boss. John's friend Claire does restoration work for Darius and loathes the dealer. Matt Bivins and Kara O'Neil turn in excellent performances as John and Claire. Bivins' quiet, nervous mannerisms juxtaposed with O'Neil's brash cynicism make for an ideal pairing.

The characters become entangled in the excitement over a unique and historic "pillow book" — sort of a Japanese courtesan's diary — that has come to Darius' attention. The book holds the keys to many of the characters' futures, promising scholarly advancement, prestige, money, promotion, and even revenge.

The characters in 36 Views live in different realms — some in black and white, some in grey. Whether it be a question of art or a person's identity, the notion of authenticity underlies much of Iizuka's play.

Owen Matthiassen, an elderly art scholar and collector, is a sensible character, but he too becomes caught up in the frenzy over the book. Actor John Edwards infuses his character with an immense humor and likeability, even in Owen's stuffiness.

Elizabeth Newman-Orr (played by Linda Eisen) is an enigmatic woman who tries to engage Darius in an illegal art deal; her character's also involved in bringing to the forefront the issue of what is real.

Iizuka drew inspiration from a famous series of woodblock prints from Japanese artist Hokusai called Thirty-Six Views of Fuji. (Incidentally, the Gibbes Museum of Art has several works from Hokusai in its Japanese print collection.) Looking at her subject from many different perspectives, Iizuka examines the story in exactly 36 scenes. Iizuka's play had traditional Japanese touches in its first run at New York's Public Theater in 2002, and Pure's production has retained many of those elements, which keep the play suspended in a setting between ancient and modern and east and west. Projections of woodblock prints adjust according to new themes throughout the scenes. Some of the costumes (by Christine Burchett) have the versatility and layers of kimonos, peeling away or shifting into a new modern costume, hiding secrets beneath them.

Director Dana Friedman has done an admirable job with this technically and thematically complex work. She's taken risks with it, and they've worked. Pure has here taken its always edgy work to a new level, with a larger cast, more scenery, and a clear demonstration that they can up the ante with competent technical prowess. Even so, with 36 Views, they've assured that the heart and meaning behind this play remains its most powerful aspect.

"It asks the question: 'What is real, and what is fake,' " says Sharon Graci, co-founder of Pure Theatre.

The story deals with an un-scrupulous art dealer, Darius Wheeler, and an East Asian literature professor, Setsuko Hearn, who become captivated by the sudden appearance of an ancient courtesan's journal or "pillow book."

Both have designs on this incredible find and are drawn quickly into a relationship of mutual intrigue.

What Wheeler and Hearn don't know is that Hearn's assistant, John Bell, and Claire Tsong, a restorer of Asian artifacts, may bring down Hearn's empire by forging the pillow book and its provenance.

The situation spirals out of control, sparking an international sensation about the pillow book and attracting the attention of a mysterious woman who asks lots of questions.

Graci points out that "36 Views" is structured after "The Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji," a series of woodblock paintings by Japanese artist Hokusai Katsushika (1760-1849), considered one of the outstanding figures of the Japanese Ukiyo-e school of printmaking.

By separating the play into 36 scenes, Iizuka reveals pieces of the plot from various viewpoints, explains Graci.

She notes that multiple layers of deception are slowly uncovered, as are twists that prove the characters to not always be who they claim to be.

Despite its unusual structure, the play is said to have a traditional story arc.

"The specificity in which Iizuka crafts a play with richly developed characters to tell this story of truth and deception and the many gradients between is unmatched in modern drama," says director Friedman.

"This play is analogous to our own culture's appreciation of art, aligning value and authenticity with capital. No artistic discipline feels this more wholly than theater, where the bright lights of Broadway seem always to equal success."

Taking the role of Darius Wheeler is Johnny Ali Heyward with Jamie George as Setsuko Hearn. Others in the cast are Matt Bivins, John Edwards, Linda Eisen and Kara O'Neil.

"36 Views" began as a commission from the ASK Theater Projects in Los Angeles in 1998.

The play was developed there and at the Sundance Theatre Laboratory and the Bread Loaf Writers Conference.

The play made its premiere at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre.

Backdrops inspired by Hokusai's woodblock paintings figure prominently in the set, as do the sounds of Japanese shakuhachi flutes and wooden clappers used to delineate emotional shifts and scene changes as in traditional kabuki theater.

Playgoers also may want to view many of Hokusai's works on permanent display at the Gibbes Museum of Art.

Performances of "36 Views" are at 7:30 p.m. Friday through Sept. 23, except 2 p.m. performances on Sundays at the theater, 701 East Bay St.

On Sept. 7, 14, and 21, patrons are invited to stay after the play for a conversation with the actors and director.

On Sept. 10, a brunch will be held at 1 p.m. prior to the 2 p.m. performance.

Tickets are $20 and may be purchased by calling 723-4444.

A taut tale of intrigue in the visual arts world opened PURE Theatre's fourth season Friday night, a worthy harbinger of another thought-provoking series to come.

Naomi Iizuka's "36 Views" is a drama that examines perception: of art, of life, of relationships, of truth.

Director Dana Friedman cunningly uses one set in which to stage the interlocking scenes, moving the actors around rather than subjecting the audience to endless and unavoidably awkward set changes.

Not for a moment does Friedman, also credited with the scene design, compromise her vision in this limited, but never limiting, space. She has wrought a production that melds the Asian with the Western in forms that brilliantly yet subtly reflect content.

Traditional Japanese screens that slide contrast with clear plastic boxes which function as desk, bookcase and bar. An elegant kimono glides over a modern, sophisticated suit; glimpses of mysterious warriors silently padding about interweave (but never interact) with the six compelling actors.

Johnny Ali Heyward proves his mettle in the demanding role of a beguiling, if unscrupulous, art dealer. Jamie George stuns and delights as a scholar whose mentor, adroitly played by John Edwards, is as duped as she. Matt Bivins as the dealer's assistant gets more convincing by the moment, while Kara O'Neil nails her freewheeling artist role. Linda Eisen has difficulty being mysterious and pretentious all at once.

You will learn about Asian art, and you will enjoy it. Curtain's up at 7:30.