Molly was blinded by cataracts before her first birthday and at the age of 40, she has the opportunity to undergo an operation to restore her sight. The operation is more the aspiration of her husband Frank, a slightly hyperactive, highly self-absorbed kook who takes Molly on as a sort of project to obsess over. And it is also the obsession of her doctor, Paddy Rice, an alcoholic who hopes to use this operation to restore his career to its former glory.

While it seems inevitable that given the choice between blindness and sight, one would choose to see, Molly seems an almost unwilling participant in the surgery. She feels that her tactile "sight" is far more complete and satisfying than what anyone could experience with one's eyes alone. Nevertheless, she agrees, and this is when the play takes a turn for the tragic.

Despite what Sachs refers to as the "commonsensical notion" that such a patient would have perfect vision after such an operation, Molly finds that her mind cannot process her new vision into reality.

MOLLY SWEENEY is another acting tour-de-force for Fort Wayne actress Kate Black. Having more than proven herself in dozens of roles on area stages, this may be her finest yet. Her Molly is enchanting and winsome but as the story progresses, we watch as her new sighted world takes its toll. But rather than indulging in scenery-chewing drama, her warmth makes us laugh as well as cry.

Mike Palmreuter gets a surprising number of laughs as Frank, who describes with humor and sometimes bewilderment his ongoing projects, from raising Iranian goats to teaching Molly to see with her eyes rather than with her hands. In spite of his misguided and selfish efforts, he still comes across as likeable and even affectionate toward his wife.

Manuel (Manny) Silverman, a multi-award-winning actor, comes out of a ten-year theatre absence to play Mr. Rice, the washed up genius who deludes himself into thinking that Molly has nothing to lose by re-gaining her sight. Mr. Rice is not particularly warm or funny, but he does have heart. Like the other actors, Silverman does a fantastic job speaking conversationally to the audience rather than "acting" for them.

The set, designed by Jennifer Schmied, is sparse and colorless. On the back wall are windows and an open door, showing the hint of an Impressionistic pastoral backdrop, depicting a beautiful but blurry view of the Irish countryside.

The costumes by Jan Klee are similarly colorless except Molly's second act costume, which subliminally hints at Molly's emotional state after her operations.

Director Thom Hofrichter allows the actors to portray actions almost solely through their words. Actions are few and are used to emphasize major points.

The play is unusual in that there is no dialogue. Instead, the audience listens to the characters' memories during a series of monologues. By turns comic, sentimental, clinical, and heart wrenching, MOLLY SWEENEY requires the audience to listen more than to see.

As the characters teach us, what we see is not always real. To see is not to understand.

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To read an excerpt of "To See and Not See," go to http://www.oliversacks.com/2see1.html