Asolo Repertory Theatre tomorrow night lifts the curtain on a show set to spark debate with Good People. Written by Pulitzer Prize-winner David Lindsay-Abaire and nominated for a Tony, Good People follows single mother Margie Walsh, fresh out of work and looking to escape south Boston. Seeing an ex-boyfriend who made good as a doctor, Margie sets out to get hers in a humorous yet biting take on the American Dream.

“From the first time I saw it, I loved the characters, the journey and what it says about class in America,” said Denise Cormier, a Boston-born actress playing Margie in her first show with Asolo. “There’s nothing black and white about the characters. They’re all good people, but they handle their circumstances quite differently.”

Raising questions about class, success and the role of hard work versus luck in determining one’s future, Good People is not an exercise in blame or martyrdom, but a show of understanding – a closer examination of what makes people from both sides of the tracks, and the aisle, good people. Or not. “The more I worked on it, the more exciting and startling and richer it became,” said Tim Grimm, returning to the Asolo as Margie’s ex, Dr. Mike Dillon. “The author is so good that there are very clear viewpoints based on characters in the play, but he makes it difficult for people to come down.”

Cormier and Grimm agree that as well as being entertaining, Good People has the power to get people thinking. “Our best hope is to have people talking and sharing their points of view,” said Cormier.

“There’s no doubt the audience will leave discussing,” adds Grimm. “At the Asolo we’ve got three diverse plays coming in, but of all them this is the most contemporary. This is about right now.”

Good People opens at the Asolo Repertory Theatre Jan. 14 and runs until Mar. 1.