A 1731 Morality Tale That Aged Well, Unlike Its Characters.

The long title of the play: ''The London Merchant, or the History of George Barnwell.'' The short review: excellent. That's a simple way to sum up this co-production by the Storm Theater and the Blackfriars Repertory Theater. But there's no one word to convey the pleasure of discovering an exciting work when you'd been dreading a musty old relic. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]