Postage stamps are used to mail letters through the United States Postal Service. For a select few who allegedly lack a social life, postage stamps are for collecting. Everyday stamps are cool but are a bit lacking in value. Some stamps demand attention due to their limited circulation. Others are highly prized because of a unique error -– an upside down plane, for example. An even smaller number are sought because of legend. For five people who seek the legendary, three stamps will rip apart the social life of a family, erase the value of an international criminal and make one man wonder of the error he made for missing out on an opportunity.

Welcome to Mauritius. No, we are not taking you on a tour of the beautiful island nestled deep in the Indian Ocean a few hours off the eastern coast of Madagascar. This story is about a two small slips of paper much more exotic than the Mauritian coast and a whole lot more thrilling than excursing for dodo bird fossils buried in some granite-based hilltop.

Opening at the Pasadena Playhouse one week later than scheduled, Mauritius delves into the deep world philately and into the deeper world of greed, corruption and family conflict. Revolving around a pair of stamps considered to be “the crown jewel of philately” and a third stamp serving as the plot’s great equalizer, Mauritius brings to life the otherwise boring and mundane world of stamp-collecting. Behold, the hobby is not for nerds and geeks who live in their grandma’s basement and have not had a legitimate dinner date with a love interest in, oh, five lifetimes. Instead, we are introduced to a manipulative half-sister, an unstable lead character, a conniving gangster, a street-slick yet affable hustler and an edgy yet tired stamp-collecting expert.

So how do two exceedingly rare stamps, aged more than 160 years and rooted from a tiny island nation in the southwestern corner of the Indian Ocean, set off a firestorm among five individuals whose lives were otherwise disconnected?

We first meet Jackie, who timidly walks into a stamp-collector store with a set of collected stamps which have been in her family for years. Her ensuing monologue (which is actually an attempted conversation with the store’s owner and expert stamp-collector Philip) reveals to the audience Jackie is in need of extra cash but has little experience in philately.

While Philip finally gives Jackie a shred of attention, he tells her he will not look at the stamp collection without a fee –- a fee Jackie cannot afford to pay. Hearing the entire exchange as he freeloads in the store, Dennis swoops in and offers to look at Jackie’s collection without Jackie or Philip knowing the book contains three prized stamps, including the one-cent and two-cent Mauritius “Post Office” stamps, considered to be the first-ever stamps issued by the British empire in the eponymous island. Also included in the book is the valuable “Inverted Jenny” -– an incorrectly printed stamp with an upside-down plane. (As stated by the characters on multiple occasions, the bigger the mistake on the stamp, the more valuable it is.)

Dennis notices the stamps and swears by its authenticity, and in true street-smart form, he tells both Jackie and Philip the book of stamp collection is not very valuable, though his body language said otherwise. Following his instinct, Dennis immediately shares his discovery with moneyman Sterling, a man later described to Jackie who deals in “real estate, corporate merger-type, governmental arms deals, (and such) sort of thing(s).”

Realizing the opportunity to make millions, the duo teams up to convince Jackie to turn over the entire stamp collection before she realized what she has. Not too far across town, Jackie perused through boxes of her mother’s belongings with her half-sister Mary. Separated for years, the primly Mary returns home to spend time with her ill mother and half-sister.

The audience discovers Mary had not been home for years, all while the younger Jackie remained behind to care after her mother. Jackie feels as if her years of patiently enduring the care of her mother functions as a down-payment on all of her apparent possessions after her passing, including the stamp collection. Mary feels otherwise, steadfastly and condescendingly telling her half-sister the stamp collection is an heirloom to which Jackie has no right. After all, the collection belonged to Mary’s grandfather on her father’s side. (Jackie and Mary had the same mother but different fathers.)

Jackie wants to sell the stamp collection, believing it is worth enough money to settle her mother’s debts and have enough money left over to allow both her and Mary to live comfortably until their dying days. Mary wants to hold onto the stamps she believes is rightfully hers and honor the memory of her grandfather by placing the valuable slips of paper in a museum.

Soon, Jackie realizes the value of the stamps, Mary attempts to stunt her half-sister’s effort, Sterling and Dennis hope to buy the book at the lowest possible price, all while Philip wonders how he can profit off the “crown jewel of philately” without involving the other interested parties.

A scurry to possess a pair of stamps worth millions of dollars, Mauritius is quite the adventure for an otherwise boring hobby collecting little bits of colored paper. With a moveable set (stunningly designed by Tom Buderwitz) featuring a store, a living room and a coffee shop, Mauritius comes to the Pasadena Playhouse after debuting on Broadway in 2007. Written by Theresa Rebeck and directed by Jessica Kubzansky, the thrilling play about three little pieces of paper is a roller coaster of a ride featuring the well-timed peaks and valleys to keep the audience on the edge of their collective seats while also delving into the dark side of each character’s psyche.

Kirsten Kollender is Jackie, a jaded young girl who never forgave her sister for leaving the house when she was needed most. Paying her dues and bearing the biggest brunt of pain for her mother’s illness (combined with unresolved issues with her father and resentment toward her half-sister), Kollender presents a confused lead character who the audience sometimes struggles to root for.

The primly Mary is portrayed by Monette Magrath who easily convinces the audience she is definitely not worth rooting for, creating more tension with each character than she resolves.

Tossing his hat in an estrogen-filled ring is Chris L. McKenna, who plays the street-slick pretty-boy Dennis. His deceptive charm is a tough nut to crack early on, yet he eventually wins the crowd early on with his passion for facilitating a sale of the stamp between his money-shark friend and his growing affinity for Jackie.

His “partner” –- aptly named Sterling -– is a loud-mouthed, profanity-laden, paranoid money-grubber who has all ten fingers stuck in some questionable dealings, dramatically portrayed by Ray Abruzzo.

In the middle of the storm is Phillip, a grouchy, wrinkled and aging man characterized by John Billingsley. With an agenda of his own, Billingsley’s character completes a five-way battle to profit from one of the rarest stamps ever made in the history of mankind.

The journey is already afoot at the Pasadena Playhouse, with shows running through April 26th. Showtimes are Tuesdays through Fridays at 8:00 p.m., Saturdays at 4:00 and 8:00 p.m., and Sundays at 2:00 and 7:00 p.m. Tickets are priced at $32 to $67, and the play’s running time is 140 minutes. For more information, visit www.pasadenaplayhouse.org or call the venue at (626) 356-7529.