"Guardians" covers a lot of battlegrounds

President Bush and those who surround him will soon be gone from the halls of power. Left behind will be their legacy, including that of Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.

In "Guardians," playwright Peter Morris uses the photos of prisoner abuse from Abu Ghraib as a stepping-off point to explore issues of gender, class, social hierarchies, and most important, power — both political and sexual.

But this is no politically correct diatribe. It's a well-constructed case study of responsibility, an examination of the intertwined relationship between victim and victimizer. Morris sets lofty goals for himself and, except for some needed tightening, succeeds admirably.

In his play (first produced at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2005, and now in its Seattle debut), two characters take turns speaking to the audience. The well-educated male is an overly ambitious English journalist who will do anything to advance his career.

By faking photographs of prisoner abuse and avoiding blame when the deception is recognized, he gets ahead.

The female is trailer trash from West Virginia who joined the Army to escape her tawdry background.

She wound up a prison guard in Iraq and became a scapegoat for the atrocities.

You've seen the picture of the woman the character is based on, Lynndie England, the smiling girl surrounded by naked and abused prisoners.

Adam Standley as English Boy and Gabrielle Schutz as American Girl are remarkable.

From the very beginning, the audience understands these characters.

He's pompous, self-indulgent, cruel.

She's undereducated, unloved, undeveloped.

Yet as the play progresses, each actor adds depth to the roles. The nuances and refinements steadily build.

She, the convicted victimizer, is an innocent, trapped in an environment and social order for which she had no defenses. You ache for her.

He, the well-bred, articulate dandy, looks good but is vicious to the core. You squirm with distaste as he slowly reveals the poisonous depths of his soul.

Director Amanda Stoddard controls the production and its actors with finesse.

English Boy is bathed in blue/white light that sharpens his brittle character.

American Girl in her orange prison outfit is softened by yellow/orange light.

Except for some camera equipment and a chair, there is nothing on stage to distract the audience from their testimony. It works.

If you like theater that challenges your mind and raises questions that demand our attention, but have no easy answers, this is a production you shouldn't miss.

Nancy Worssam: nworssam@earthlink.net