It seems almost criminal to take one of the English speaking theater’s finest classical actors, have him appear in a play in a tiny basement theater, and then make the run so limited that it sells out virtually immediately. But such is the case with the Atlantic Theater Company’s production of Bluebird, starring Simon Russell Beale.

It’s rare--certainly on these shores--for Beale to play contemporary roles, but he does so in this 1998 drama by Simon Stephens that was originally produced at London’s Royal Court Theatre. The actor stars as Jimmy, a London taxi driver whose placid demeanor and casual chattiness belies a raging turmoil underneath.

For much of the play’s 100-minute running time, the action consists of Jimmy’s interactions, ala Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver, with a variety of eccentric passengers, or, as he refers to them, “fares.” They include, among others: the grieving father (Michael Countryman) of a murdered young girl; a hard-edged but flirtatious prostitute (Charlotte Parry); a burnt-out engineer (Todd Weeks) for the London Underground and a menacing bouncer (John Sharian).

Periodically, Jimmy leaves his taxi to make plaintive phone calls to a woman we eventually learn is his ex-wife (Mary McCann). At first, she refuses to talk to him, but eventually she relents and agrees to a late night drive.

It’s this final confrontation, in which we learn the true nature of Jimmy’s demons, which forms the dramatic heart of the play. But while this climactic scene is indeed powerful, the play takes too long in getting there. Besides the unlikelihood of Jimmy’s being able to draw enough self-revealing monologues from his passengers to fill a season’s worth of HBO’s Taxicab Confessions, the encounters themselves are either overly contrived or simply dull. For too long, Beale has little to do other than provide vaguely bemused reactions.

Still, the final scene, beautifully acted by Beale and McCann, does pack a dramatic punch. And the intimacy of the theater indeed serves this miniaturist drama well. Bluebird is not a great play, but it stars a great actor, so do whatever you have to do to procure tickets.

Atlantic Stage 2, 330 W.16 th St. 212-279-4200. www.ticketcentral.com.