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The Civilians – the troupe that specializes in theater pieces developed from interviews – offers its most carefully constructed, and thus, satisfying show, with the premiere of The Beautiful City, which opened on Sunday at the Vineyard Theatre off Union Square.

For "City," which like all of the Civilians' previous offerings is a mixture of monologue and music, the troupe traveled to Colorado Springs to examine how the area became the country's unofficial capital for Christian Evangelicals, and to investigate the fallout from the Ted Haggard scandal. Among the interviewees that appear in this often delightful and often eye-opening show: a business development professional who credits herself with attracting Christian non-profits to the region in the early 1980s, the associate pastor at Haggard's New Life Church, a group of Christians who believe that they have the ability to see demons, and therefore, the power to cast them out of this world, and a group of evangelical air force soldiers.

Interestingly, and shrewdly, neither the portrayals of the individuals nor Steven Cosson and Jim Lewis' script takes a satiric approach to the material. Instead, it's presented with the sort of conviction that allows theatergoers to make their own judgments about the characters and the ways in which they choose to celebrate and promote their beliefs. In some instances, the stories are part of "City" can be quite touching. For instance, the woman (played with exceptional care by Emily Ackerman), who was a drug addict during much of her youth and early adulthood and now finds comfort in her newfound religion, surprises with her compassion for her gay father. One of the most ironic pieces of this theatrical collage is "T-Girl Christian" (another fine turn from Ackerman), a transgender man who has had to reconcile his personal needs with his beliefs.

In other parts of "City," the company offers portraits of locals who disagree with or are disturbed by the extreme views of neighbors. A writer for an alternative newspaper (played with hip snarkyness by Brandon Miller) brings a left-leaning extremism to the piece, while two activists (Alison Weller and Brad Heberlee) going door-to-door campaigning for a gay equal rights referendum are two of the most compassionate characters seen in this "City."

The scandal surrounding Haggard is not the only one that comes to the stage in the piece, cleverly divided into thematic sections using remarks from park service employees about nearby Pike's Peak. "City" also explores the fallout that occurs at a local Baptist church after its pastor (Marsha Stephanie Blake) announces that he's gay. Blake not only brings this man to life with dignity, she brings a rousing passion to the role of his successor and a somewhat scary prudishness to one of the members of the congregation.

Cosson's staging unfolds with ease on Neil Patel's almost extravagantly beautiful set that looks like the façade of a modern abstract poured concrete building, but in fact, proves to be something else entirely. John Carrafa's choreography is simple, yet nonetheless effective and somewhat sparkling and Michael Friedman's songs prove to be not only toe-tappers, but also marvelous musical repackagings of the interviews and events that the troupe experienced. "Whatever" – a song for a teen (also Blake) who's unable to express how she integrates her non-religion into her friendships – and the show's title song (performed with gusto and almost conversion-quality appeal by Brad Heberlee) are two standouts. During the latter, sung as part of a service for the New Life Church's youth congregation, David Weiner's lighting becomes the stuff of rock concerts, and curiously, it becomes somewhat easy to understand why evangelic religion can draw in so many. To create this sort of understanding within the New York theatergoing community is an incredible achievement, and perhaps the highest compliment that can be paid to this exceptional piece.

---- Andy Propst

The Beautiful City plays at the Vineyard Theatre (108 West 15th Street). Performances are Tuesday at 7pm, Wednesday through Friday at 8pm; Saturday and 3 and 8pm and Sunday at 3pm. Tickets are $60.00 and can be purchased by calling 212-353-0303 or by visiting www.vineyardtheatre.org.