Night Sky might be the least Fringe-y show ever put on at Capital Fringe. It’s a straight play — fourth wall resolutely in place — about the drama between a stubborn and lively older woman and the people close to her over whether she is going to be put into a nursing home or boldly strike out to get a mortgage and stay independent.

If that bores you already, stay away; nothing in this simple play will win you over. If, however, there is still any place in your heart for a drama about complex, believable people dealing with everyday problems, then this is about as good a specimen as you could hope a new play (still in progress) could be. Veteran actresses Faith Potts (as the stubborn grandmother) and Barbara Rappaport (as her less headstrong best friend) carry the material with ease and naturalness, and the other three cast members (especially including 12-year old Bailey Drew Lehfeldt) keep up with them admirably, thanks to Dorothy Neumann’s confident direction. But playwright Patricia Connelly deserves the most praise for refusing all gimmicks and cheap jokes (except one or two about those darn cellphones), maintaining an engaging pace, and treating all the characters fairly; no one’s viewpoint is ever the obvious winner and everyone is equally flawed and understandable.

It’s not a perfect production — the ending seems to come at an arbitrary moment and the “night sky” scenes are somewhat awkward and forced. In the end, Night Sky deserves further development and to be onstage eventually at whatever professional theater is willing to stage something so decidedly unhip.

Night Sky, A New Play has three remaining performances, listed here. Tickets are available online.