Emotions ran high on stage keeping the audience at the edge of their seats during the dramatic showing of Suddenly, Last Summer, a play by Tennessee Williams, which opened Oct. 2 at the Lambda Players new theater home on 21st Street.

As the audience entered the newly designed, intimate theater space, which seats approximately 40 patrons, a social experiment ensued. The seats, which have yet to be properly numbered and ordered, left patrons roaming through the four aisles trying to figure out an order or pattern to the seating chart. Eventually the groups would simply situate themselves in an open section.

However, those who had already figured out the disorder were entertained by the new arrivals searching for an unidentifiable location until someone would indicate that nobody had figured out the order. This caused a unique early interaction between the audience members that one rarely gets while waiting for a show to begin.

Suddenly, Last Summer, directed by Sonny Sorrells, is composed of a small cast of seven characters. The play, originally written as a one-act, was presented in two intervals with a brief intermission, giving time for the audience to take a breather from the over-the-top drama.

The play is set in the 1930s New Orleans garden of wealthy socialite Violet Venable, mother of Sebastian, the underlying main character of the play. While Sebastian himself has no role in the show, it is the argumentative discussion of the mysterious circumstances surrounding Sebastian's death last summer during a trip to Europe that is the main theme of the play.

The show begins with Violet (played by Kristen Wagner) entering the stage with Dr. Cukrowicz (Steve Lozano), or Dr. Sugar, as cukrowicz means "sugar" in Polish. Dr. Sugar is a young surgeon who is at the pioneering forefront of the practice of lobotomies. He has been brought to Violet's home under somewhat false pretenses, believing that Violet is considering awarding him a large monetary donation from the newly established "Sebastian Venable Memorial Foundation" to support his controversial surgical practice. It becomes imminently clear that Violet is only willing to do this if Dr. Sugar agrees to lobotomize her niece Catharine Holly (Lynnette Blaney) who was Sebastian's traveling partner and sole witness of his death.

Violet wishes to lobotomize Catherine because she feels she has gone insane after Sebastian's death and wants her to quit tarnishing Sebastian's good name and reputation. Violet wants Sebastian to be remembered as a great poet and will go to any lengths to cover up Sebastian's homosexuality. It is evident to the audience, however, that Violet does not view her relationship with Sebastian in the traditional mother/son hierarchy. Instead she idolizes him in almost a romantic sense. "We were a famous couple," says Violet.

The second act starts with the encounter between Violet and Catherine. Blaney brings a true agitation and internal torture to the character of Catherine as she paces the stage, knowing that her wealthy aunt could likely cause her further psychological anguish. Dr. Sugar seeks the truth behind Sebastian's murder and injects Catherine with a "truth serum" so the full story will finally be exposed.

The Lambda Players, now in their 21st season, are an active theater troupe in the Sacramento area. This all-volunteer, non-profit organization has a mission to educate and entertain through the live-theater medium, with a focus relevant to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender population.

Since 2007, the Lambda Player's had made the Studio Theatre located at 1028 R St. their home. However, members felt this location was not the best location for GLBT theater. President Chris Crittenden believes the move to the Lavender Heights district will place them more in the heart of the GLBT community and allow them to better promote their mission.

"[The theater] has felt like home from the first day we walked in," Crittenden said.

However, the transition to the new location was not easy.

"We spent long hours on the new space," Crittenden said. "We all work full-time jobs and then spent over 40 hours a week working on the new space. It was a long haul, but so worth the time and effort."

And it appears that the effort has been paying off. Crittenden said many community members stopped by during the build and the same word came out of almost everyone's mouths: "Wow."

"The word we are now looking for is fabulous!" Crittenden said.

The show will continue to run until Oct. 31 at the 21st & L Street Theatre, 1127 21st Street, in Midtown. Shows will be on Friday and Saturday nights at 8 p.m. Ticket prices range from $15 to $17 and can be purchased in advance through the Lambda Players website or by calling the box office at (916) 444-8229.