Asuncion

At first glance, the plot sounds like a rip-off of my favorite sitcom, "The Big Bang Theory." Two young adult male roommates—both connected to the local university and both too old to be living with roommates—have their friendship dynamic altered by the presence of an attractive young woman. But "Asuncion," the new comedy written by and starring Oscar-nominated actor Jesse Eisenberg ("The Social Network"), presented by Rattlestick Playwrights Theater at the Cherry Lane Theatre, has a lot more to offer than a retread of a popular premise.

Yes, Edgar, the immature and naive would-be journalist played by Eisenberg, bears more than a passing resemblance to Sheldon Cooper, the book-smart but people-allergic physics genius brilliantly limned by Jim Parsons on the CBS show. Both are isolated and have terrible social skills. But that's where the similarities stop. Edgar has a fierce ambition to become an international investigative reporter, but he's never gotten beyond a few blog entries and a brief trip to Cambodia. He's currently rooming with the hipper and older Vinny (Justin Bartha), his former teacher's assistant. Edgar idolizes Vinny and might even have a suppressed crush on him, while Vinny barely tolerates the terminally nerdish Edgar. The plot shifts when Edgar's boisterous older brother Stuart (Remy Auberjonois) bursts in, announces he has just gotten married, and asks the roommates to put up his new bride, Asuncion (Camille Mana), a bubbly young lady originally from the Philippines, for a few days.

Stuart won't reveal why he needs his bride to stay with Edgar and Vinny, which is one of the big flaws in Eisenberg's script. The mystery surrounding the title character fuels the comedy: Edgar jumps to the conclusion that his sister-in-law is either a mail-order bride or a hooker, and he thinks he can get a salable article out of her story. When Stuart finally reveals the reason for his request, it seems unbelievable that he wouldn't have explained it earlier. But then there would be no conflict and no play.

Despite the weak engine that sets the plot in motion, Eisenberg has written a funny and insightful character study of three disparate people seeking to connect with each other, staged with just the right amount of zip and zing by director Kip Fagan. As Vinny and Asuncion grow mildly flirtatious with each other, Edgar becomes jealous of both of them. As an actor, Eisenberg skillfully conveys Edgar's yearning for acceptance. As a playwright, he supplies lifelike dialogue and sharp satire on political correctness. Bartha makes Vinny more than just a pretentious asshole, endowing him with compassion for his roommate as well as understandable anger at Edgar's obtuseness. Mana is bubbly and joyful in the title role, and she makes it clear that this young woman is a lot smarter than she seems. Auberjonois has only two scenes as the take-charge Stuart, but he delivers the subtext of the brothers' lifetime relationship with high impact.

John McDermott's set accurately re-creates the kind of crowded, low-income housing that post-grads typically find themselves in. Likewise, Eisenberg snaps a telling portrait of three young people thrust into a new situation and attempting to find their way.

Presented by Rattlestick Playwrights Theater at the Cherry Lane Theatre, 38 Commerce St., NYC. Oct. 27–Dec. 18. Tue.–Fri., 8 p.m.; Sat., 2 and 8 p.m.; Sun., 3 p.m. (No performance Thu., Nov. 24.) (212) 352-2101, (866) 811-4111, www.theatermania.com, or www.rattlestick.org. Casting by Calleri Casting.