For an inside look at what's really happening in contemporary New York theater, skip the glitter on Broadway and travel downtown to 29th Street to see "The Given" at Studio Dante in a limited engagement through Nov. 11.

Directed by Michael Imperioli and Zeta Fuentes, "The Given" is a new play by Francine Volpe, who proves once again she's fearless when it comes to tough subjects and raw emotion.

The play revolves around Cathea (Laura Heisler), a young exotic dancer, who initially seems like a cynical minor character overshadowed by Suzie (Sharon Angela, aka Rosalie Aprile on "The Sopranos") a boozy theater stripper who's been living on the edge too long. But the first scene quickly dissolves from the backstage dressing room at Angel Eyes strip club to Cathea's cozy studio apartment, aided by a whirling multiple location stage set designed by Victoria Imperioli (who outdoes herself!) and a Top 40s soundtrack that sets and resets the mood.

It doesn't take long to realize Cathea is trapped in someone else's life when she's on the job like so many women whose self-esteem is shattered by sexual abuse in childhood.

But even at home Cathea is tormented, torn between her two best friends - Swannee (Jason C. Brown), a melodramatic, HIV-positive man who seeks validation - and Leon (Anthony De Sando), an irresponsible but lovable lout who trades tacky lingerie for cash to support his drug habit.

Cathea's problems are compounded by a wretched past that follows her in the frail and twisted shape of her wheelchair-bound, nasty Polish grandmother Nettie (Elzbieta Czyzewska) and Seth (Remy Auberjonois), a married customer from the club who promises a brighter future.

As smart and streetwise as Cathea believes herself to be, you know she's headed for disaster. But Volpe's script has as many twists and turn as Victoria's ingenious stage set. What happens in the climax comes as a shock.

The acting is brilliant. All three men put in solid performances, especially Auberjonois. Angela and Czyzewska provide the much-needed comic relief. But it's Heisler who really shines here. Her emotional range runs the gamut. She has the same appeal as Jennifer Aniston; she's very pretty but ordinary enough to be sympathetic and convincing. Her relationship with Leon and Swannee makes sense. She identifies with them on a deep, spiritual level easily understood by those of us who live on the fringe of society as poets, artists and actors.

However, there's one thing that bothered me about the play, which warrants further explanation. Since Leon is a "bug-chaser" (a term in the gay community to describe a man who actively seeks AIDS), why didn't Cathea do more to try and stop him from destroying himself?

It's Volpe's plays like "The Given" and last season's "Late Fragment," also directed by Imperioli and Fuentes, that keep us going back to Studio Dante. The works take you on an emotional journey where you never expect to go and introduce you to the kind of stellar theater that can only happen in New York.

Postscript to all you "Sopranos" fans out there - Sharon Angela is something else. She is larger than life and even ballsier up close and in person. And, yes, it's true, Michael Imperioli (aka Christopher Moltisanti) introduced the play.