BY MICHAEL SOMMERS

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

New York audiences already have seen “Other Desert Cities” and “Sons of the Prophet,” which were well-deserved finalists for the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for drama. They now can check out the play that actually won it: “Water by the Spoonful,” which premiered at Hartford Stage last year and arrived at Second Stage Theatre on Tuesday.

This second play in Quiara Alegria Hudes’ contemporary trilogy spun around a troubled Iraq war veteran named Elliot, “Water by the Spoonful” is all about family – both the family whose blood you share and the other family of friends you create.

In the first instance, the story sees Elliot (Armando Riesco) and his fond cousin Yaz (Zabryna Guevara) deal with the death of the beloved matriarch of their Puerto Rican-American clan. The deceased is the sister of Elliot’s estranged mother Odessa (Liza Colon-Zayas), a former crack-head who now is the kindly site administrator of an online chat room for other recovering addicts.

These people in cyberspace -- who comprise the story’s second family -- include a benevolent office worker (Frankie Faison) in San Diego, a volatile young woman (Sue Jean Kim) on a personal quest in Japan and a once-successful Philadelphia entrepreneur (Bill Heck) whose crack habit is worse than he claims.

The ghost of an Iraq man (Ryan Shams) who haunts Elliot drifts now and again into the two-act drama, which eventually explains Elliot’s tragic history with his mom Odessa and contrasts his distaste for her against the affection shown by the chat room folk who value her compassionate outlook.

A lovely image of redemption ends the drama, which turns out to be a surprisingly gentle look at some damaged Americans struggling to remake their lives. Perhaps the play’s sympathetic theme rang the bell with the Pulitzer judges.

If “Water by the Spoonful” seems rather tepid in comparison to “Sons of the Prophet” and “Other Desert Cities” – at least to my taste -- it nevertheless remains a worthwhile play that holds your interest.

The handsome production is directed by Davis McCallum, who staged it last year at Hartford Stage with several leading members of the current cast. The somewhat underwritten figure of Elliot, a hot-tempered hunk with a limp, is stolidly embodied by Riesco. His performance pales a bit against the vivid warmth displayed both by Guevara as the empathetic cousin and Colon-Zayas as Elliot’s unexpectedly fragile mom. The ensemble personably gives life to the other characters. Designer Neil Patel’s setting of a constellation of floating faces and Russell H. Champa’s lighting lend visual fluency to the show.

“Water by the Spoonful” continues through Jan. 27 at Second Stage, 305 W. 43rd St., New York. Call (212) 246-4422 or visit www.2st.com.