By Claude Peck

The East Side of St. Paul has not been a hotbed of theater activity, but a new show is opening there this weekend that caught our attention because of some of the names attached. That plus the flat-out odd venue: the St. Paul Eagle's Club on Maria Street. Bryan Bevell directs "The Grand National," a first play by Twin Cities attorney/writer Duke Geelan, with a title inspired by the 1980s muscle car.

The car that gave the play its title

We are told the play explores a young man's depression, along with "themes of friendship, loss, love and faith through a fascinating mix of realistic vignettes, live classical guitar and unsettling dream sequences." Normally, that would have us fleeing for the west metro, but Bevell is a director who has done excellent, if infrequent, work in the Twin Cities in the past six years.

Bryan Bevell The New Mexico native spent much of the 1990s in San Diego at a small theater called "The Fritz." When he arrived in the Twin Cities, he lunched with Bain Boehlke of the Jungle Theater and caught a big break when Boehlke said he wanted Bevell to direct the Jungle's "Lobby Hero" by Kenneth Lonergan, which opened in February, 2003. Rohan Preston of this newspaper heralded the production as "the first unqualified hit of the new year." Another great Bevell-directed play was "Gangster No. 1," the tense, profane British crime drama that ran at the Playwrights' Center in 2007. "I'm a stay-at-home dad with two young kids, so I do projects occasionally," said Bevell, who also has directed shows at the Bryant Lake Bowl, Bedlam, Starting Gate ("True West") and Intermedia Arts. Why this play? The playwright was a friend, and Bevell put together a reading as a favor. "I was struck by the power of the reading," Bevell said. "It's a conventional story told in a really interesting way. The Eagles were interested in expanding their repertoire of productions, so I said let's do it." Bevell and the entity known as ESC managed to attract a cast with surprising heft for such a smallish production. Actors on board include Nathan Christopher, who was so good in "Lobby Hero," and Gus Lynch, menacing as all get-out in "Gangster No. 1." Also appearing are Joel Liestman, Emily Logan Dooley and Cherri Macht. Throw in live classical guitar courtesy of the University of St. Thomas Guitar Studies Program and you have something with enough stellar ingredients to warrant attention. (Opens Oct. 23. 7 p.m. Fri., Sun. and Thu., 8 p.m. Sat. Ends. Nov. 8. St. Paul Eagles Club, 287 Maria St., St. Paul. $10-$20. 612-227-1822.)