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It takes some kind of acting — and let's not forget great shoes — for four actresses to transform themselves from 30-somethings to teens and even tots. Changing into "stilettos, platforms, saddle shoes and baby janes, helps," laughs Gabriella Fernandez-Coffey, who plays Yolanda in "How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents," premiering at Bethesda's Round House Theatre today and running through Sunday, Oct. 12.

With the blessing of the author Julia Alvarez, D.C. playwright Karen ZacarÌas recreated her much-touted novel, which follows a family's migration to the United States from the Dominican Republic in 1960 through the 1980s. ZacarÌas knew of one distinct challenge from the start. The play must, she says, "speak to those already familiar with the story, but also to those who don't know it."

Besides the obvious comparisons of book to play, the "Garcia Girls" isn't a simple once-upon-a-time there were four little Latino girls growing up into ladies. Instead, the events are relayed in "reverse chronology," explains Round House Artistic Director Blake Robison. The play begins with the disillusioned Yolanda, returning to the Dominican Republic and her extended family in hope of reconciling her past and becoming the writer and poet of her youthful aspirations. The scene quickly shifts to the family celebrating both the 70th birthday of Papi, played by Emilio Delgado (who incidentally is best known as Luis on Sesame Street), and their first grandchild.

A clash between generations and cultures begins even while the family still lives in the Dominican Republic. Papi may have been a successful doctor married to Carla de la Torre, daughter of one of the country's wealthiest and most prominent families, but he also actively works against his nation's oppressive regime. Fearing certain death, the family flees to New York.

In 12 scenes, ZacarÌas stays faithful to the book, defining each family member's experience as an immigrant. When Yolanda sees snow for the first time outside her classroom window, she screams in horror believing it's the nuclear explosion she heard about living in the Cold War era. The girl's once pampered Mami, now without servants to cater to her whims, suddenly works to invent timesaving household products. They may not exactly be at home in the U.S., but upon returning to the Dominican Republic for vacation, they are even less comfortable as their aunts notice their tight skirts and makeup.

The parallels between the "Garcia Girls" and ZacarÌas can't be denied. The playwright's father, also a doctor, brought the family to the U.S from their native Mexico when she was 6. And like Yolanda, her typewriter was her most important possession. The Walt Whitman High School alumna was fluent in English, but worried about her accent. Upon returning to her homeland, ZacarÌas recalls thinking: "I was a gringa, and suddenly the slang I used was outdated."

Fernandez-Coffey, who came to the U.S. from Puerto Rico, sees the play as much more than a tale about immigrants.

"It gives us the opportunity to revisit our own childhoods. We can sit in silence with it [our memories] or embrace them," he says. "For Yolanda, it's a story of redemption, acceptance, moving forward and embracing her family."

Robison who does not have an immigrant background, says he functions as "a proxy for the audience. Part of my job is to keep the non-Latinos and non immigrants engaged."

No problema.

"How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents" runs through Oct. 12 in the Round House Theatre, 4545 East-West Highway, Bethesda. Shows start at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, and 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Tickets range from $25 to $60. Call 240-644-1100 or visit www.roundhousetheatre.org.