''This is a story with a message,'' repeat the actors in the new production of Tu ternura Molotov (Molotov Kisses) that opened last weekend at Area Stage at their new home in Coral Gables.

The play by Venezuelan Gustavo Ott carries many messages -- about the difficulties of separating fact from fantasy, past from present and love from sex. Labeled a comedy, the play is far from inducing continuous laughter. Rather it is an engaging story with scenes of poetic language and unexpected breaks that is also fun.

Daniel and Victoria are married. He is a lawyer. She is a news broadcaster. The couple has taken an afternoon off from work to try to conceive a child. Victoria is registering a certain body temperature that, according to what she has read, will ensure the making of a boy.

All is going well until the doorbell rings at their upper-middle class apartment, and a package for Victoria is delivered. In the cardboard box, sent by the FBI, is a backpack Victoria lost 12 years before, when she was 18. Its contents unravel a history that risks the couple's future.

John Rodaz, well-known in South Florida's theater circles, directs the play with the same deft hand he's shown in the past. The elegant setting, also by Rodaz, and the cast perfectly capture the play's demands. There are odd moments of silence between the two characters in the first act, but as soon as the talented actors catch their rhythm, you believe you are peeking at a couple in moments of real intimacy.

Carlos Orizondo, a veteran of our stages, delivers an impassioned, emotionally confused Daniel. Orizondo's histrionics will make you laugh as you consider the pain of his uncertainty.

The beautiful Ivette Viñas at times has problems projecting her voice but is absolutely believable as the rational wife with much at stake. They're both smart, but she's the wiser.

Molotov is a play for those who appreciate the finer points of theater, namely a good story well acted and directed. This story has a twist and a message blending comical situations with serious matters. Rather than hit you on an emotional level, it keeps the theatergoer guessing. The last act -- the play is divided into three acts with one short intermission between the first two -- feels longish, but the final punch makes you forget any small faults you may find along the way.

Tu ternura Molotov is a cut above many of the Spanish-language comedies often staged in South Florida. It is only the second production that Rodaz and his wife Maria Banda-Rodaz, production and executive director of Area Stage, have presented at the Riviera Theater, their new home. It is a labor of love for the couple, who in their previous black-box theater on Lincoln Road, often staged unforgettable productions mostly in English. I hope that tradition also continues.

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