"It seems like this is not so much typecasting really, because they are quite different people," said Sanders of Tacoma, who stars in Harlequin Productions' "And a Nightingale Sang," which is opening tonight.

Yes, she's playing another woman who nearly escapes being an old maid: Helen Stott, whose limp and advanced age (early 30s) lead her to believe she'll never find love.

It's a tribute to Sanders' skill that Harlequin is producing "Nightingale," a bittersweet comedy about an eccentric family in Northern England during World War II.

"This play needs a really strong leading woman," said director Linda Whitney, who runs Harlequin with her husband, Scot. "She's the person who shares the story with us. She's onstage almost every minute of the play. It has to be a pretty compelling actress who's capable of doing that."

And Sanders, who's appeared in several Harlequin plays, including "The Rainmaker" and "The Constant Wife," fits perfectly, Whitney said. "She has a gravity and a depth and sensitivity that work beautifully for this character. It's delightful to watch."

The play most definitely is a period piece. The war and changes in society help Helen to leave her family home and find a new life. But Sanders, 28, finds much to relate to in the role.

"It fits quite nicely into my own life -- making that transition, moving away from familiar responsibilities and just stepping out on my own," the actress said. "For me, the past couple of years have been a real time of transition. I can definitely connect with that personally."

The role also has Sanders step out in another sense -- by leaving the scenes in which she relates to her fellow actors and addressing the audience directly.

"It's a tricky business breaking that fourth wall," she said. "It's important that it's very clear to the audience, that it's not muddy."

The play is set in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, an industrial city where playwright C.P. Taylor lived for many years before his death in 1981. The Scotland-born writer experienced the war when he was a boy.

"I've thought a lot about this play because of the narrative style," Linda Whitney said. "Helen is telling the story, and she steps into and out of the action in the play. It's almost like it's someone that he (Taylor) might have known or a family member. Of course, a writer can invent anything, but there's something very personal about this play."

Watching English people deal with air raids is a foreign concept to most in the United States, yet it might feel uncomfortably close to home in these days of war and terrorism.

"Everyone in England, because they were right next door to what was going on in Europe and they knew they were going to be bombed, had their ritual of preparation," Whitney said. "The air siren is going off. Get out your gas mask.

"People started digging bomb shelters in their backyards the way people dug them in the U.S. in the '50s and '60s, but the people in Britain actually had to use them."

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