The relatively recent wave of Russian immigration to the U.S. that began in the 1990s following the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the transition in Russia from communism, has so far received little attention in our literature. This play by Erika Sheffer, which premiered in New York in 2012, thus feels fresh even though it falls in the well-trod genre of family dramas. It considers two of the notions Americans may have of present-day Russians—industrious and entrepreneurial workers, or criminals in the Russian Mafia that has spread beyond the country's own borders. The action involves a present day family living in the Sheepshead Bay section of Brooklyn, New York. Parents Misha (Alan Wilder) and Diana (Mariann Mayberry) emigrated from Russia in the mid-'90s with infant son Alex, now 18 (Aaron Himelstein). Their 15-year daughter Mira (Melanie Neilan) was born in the United States. Misha has his own business, some sort of limousine company that's struggling and deeply in debt. Diana works outside the home and Alex contributes some badly needed family income through his sales job at a Verizon store. They are, you might say, "poor but honest," struggling to get by. The kids seem thoroughly Americanized. They speak Russian, but also speak English without a Russian accent.

The family receives a guest, Diana's brother Boris (Tim Hopper), who is initially welcomed but soon becomes a threat to the relative equilibrium of the household. He appears to be a dark and threatening presence, but it takes a while before we learn what he's up to. The first 30 minutes or so introduce the characters in what is mostly some very funny stuff. Diana is a tart-tongued mama with little patience for the insubordination of her kids. Alex is anxious to get out on his own but recognizes a duty to help out financially. Mira seems a fairly typical 15-year-old—maybe more talented than most (she wins a scholarship to study overseas) but not above some moments of immaturity and telling her mom she hates her when she doesn't get her way. Dad Misha isn't around much—turns out he has his own secrets in the way he's kept the family business afloat during the economic downturn.

These all feel like real, believable characters and—even more to the credit of playwright Sheffer and this cast—like people we haven't met before. Mayberry is a master of delivering the dry putdown and creating such hard-shelled characters. Wilder, who generally seems to land character roles at Steppenwolf, has a meaty part as Misha—also sharp tongued but showing vulnerability and fear. Himelstein and Neilan give confident, natural performances as the kids. And Tim Hopper as Boris makes a delicious villain—jovial at his reunion with the family, charming and funny until his dark side of pure danger and evil surface. Hopper is perhaps the best "favorite uncle who turns out to be the villain" since Joseph Cotton's Uncle Charley in Alfred Hitchcock's Shadow of a Doubt.

The tension comes from Boris' recruitment of Alex into some sort of shady business. We don't know what exactly for a while. Alex's job is to pick up teenage girls arriving from Russia at Kennedy Airport and drive them to New Jersey. Those familiar with the crime wave of white slavery and forced prostitution will quickly guess what's going on (and, in fact, there were well-publicized busts of this type of criminal activity around the Super Bowl in New Jersey just recently).

The trouble with Russian Transport, though, is it takes Ms. Sheffer a long time—most of the first act, actually—to set up this conflict. The first 30-45 minutes of the 90-minute first act are banter among the family members that establishes character but doesn't advance the story. And with the characters all being flawed, at least a little selfish, it's hard to know where Sheffer thinks your sympathies should lie. Diana seems a bit of an immature mom, Misha is mostly absent and the kids are bratty. Boris is the only one who seems grounded enough to go after what he wants, but there's clearly something wrong with him. Things get clearer in the much tighter second act when we get see how the family, in its struggle for economic survival, is torn between competing courses of honest struggle versus crime. There's the sense that whatever choices they ultimately make, they've already gotten in too deeply with some very dangerous people.

Fans of Steppenwolf ensemble member Yasen Peyankov (and I'm among them), will be treated to a full cast of Yasen Peyankovs on stage. Through his direction, he has imbued his actors with his trademark dry delivery, perfect timing and ability to be both funny and menacing. The Steppenwolf Upstairs stage has been configured alley-style, giving us more intimate proximity to the players and a more naturalistic feeling, though with a few sight line problems. Joey Wade's scenic design provides a most realistic lower-middle class home for the family and shabby office for the car service while Stephan Mazurek's projections nicely transform Mira's bedroom into Alex's car on his trips from JFK to New Jersey. Ana Kuzmanic's costumes seem to be exactly what these folks would wear—from Target-purchased sportswear to dark clothes suitable for the Russian Mafia. Large scale prints of the Sheepshead Bay neighborhood are mounted around the theater for an even more immersive effect.

While it's unlikely for Russian Transport to get any further revisions at this stage in its life cycle, it could benefit from editing to make the play tighter and clearer. Sheffer's inspiration is clearly on target, and she has the ability to create believable, fascinating characters and strong individual scenes, but this script needs more focus. Even so, by the end of the two and a half hour play, I felt my time was well-spent. It was just a bit of a slog getting there.

Russian Transport will play Steppenwolf's Upstairs Theatre at 1650 N. Halsted, Chicago through May 11, 2014. For ticket information, visit www.Steppenwolf.org, call 312-335-1650 or visit the box office.

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-- John Olson