Robert E. Sherwood's wise Pulitzer Prize-winning antiwar comedy, "Idiot's Delight," must have seemed quite prescient in 1936, as it is set on the eve of a world war that did not start until three years later. Being given the first major New York revival in many decades, "Idiot's Delight," smoothly directed by Julie Hamberg for Vital Theatre Company, is a period piece with fascinating characters and a good story. On the other hand, in a world where each morning brings news of the latest terrorist attack, "Idiot's Delight" has renewed relevance.

Hamburg's production reduces the number of characters from 26 to 16 without any noticeable diminishment of either plot or meaning. Set in a hotel on the frontier high in the Italian Alps, the play involves a group of train travelers who find themselves marooned when the Swiss border is closed as war clouds loom.

Like the characters in Thomas Mann's "The Magic Mountain," they are representative types: an international munitions manufacturer, a German scientist, English honeymooners, a French socialist, an Italian army captain, a Russian countess, and an American entertainer escorting a song-and-dance troupe, "Les Blondes." As evening falls, the entertainer suspects that he knew the Russian countess intimately many years before.

As the countess, Aimée Hayes has the alluring style of a 1930s movie star. Looking glamorous in Vanessa Leuck's elegant costumes, Hayes glitters at all times, even after she is exposed as a fraud. Ron McClary's Harry Van has the hearty demeanor of small-time entertainers.

Among other memorable performances are Richard Rice Alan's suave industrialist, Neal Fenton's impassioned socialist, Christian Johnstone's exasperated scientist, Joshua J. Cole's stiff-upper-lip Englishman, and Alyssa Simon as his socially conscious wife of two days. Roberto Sanchez-Camus' hotel lounge is suitable for all of the play's five scenes.

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