ALBEE'S THE GOAT

THE GOAT or, WHO IS SYLVIA? by Edward Albee will open Feb. 6 at the Mark Taper Forum, directed by Warner Shook, starring Brian Kerwin and Cynthia Mace. The run is through March. 20.

Winner of the 2002 Tony Award for Best Play, THE GOAT has been called Albee's most provocative marital play since Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf? The stability of what appears to be an ideal family is rocked by an unimaginable event. Martin, a successful architect facing his 50th birthday, admits that he has fallen in love with a goat, thereby setting into motion events that threaten to undermine the life he has so carefully crafted for himself and his family.

Mark Taper Forum, 135 N. Grand Ave. Call (213) 628-2772 or visit MarkTaperForum.org Deaf community: information & charge, TDD (213) 680-4017.

BIG RIVER WASHES UP IN L.A.

The road company of BIG RIVER, THE ADVENTURES OF HUCKLEBERRY FINN will appear at the Ahmanson Theatre on Jan. 12 for a two-week run. Originally produced by the Deaf West Theatre company, the musical made the rare jump from small to large stage when the Mark Taper Forum booked the show three years ago, leading to an extended, much-acclaimed run on Broadway.

With music & lyrics by Roger Miller, book by William Hauptman (adapted from the novel by Mark Twain), the BIG RIVER production includes deaf, hard-of-hearing and hearing actors performing in a synchronized ballet of speaking, signing, gesture, song and dance. Spoken English and American Sign Language (ASL) are interwoven with music, dance and storytelling techniques from both hearing and deaf cultures into a "third language," creating a unique and groundbreaking theatrical experience.

BIG RIVER is directed and choreographed by Jeff Calhoun. The Ahmanson Theatre is located at the Music Center, 135 N. Grand Ave. Call (213) 628-2772 or visit taperahmanson.com

FLIGHT!

In celebration of the power of the oral tradition, Charlyane Woodard invokes African-American folktales and slave experiences to create FLIGHT!, the story of a young boy whose mother has been sold by plantation owners, and of the slave community that tries to comfort the child.

The world premiere of FLIGHT!, directed by Robert Egan, is presented by Center Theatre Group's Performing for Los Angeles Youth, which commissioned and developed the play. The show is appropriate for children (10 years and older) and families.

At the Kirk Douglas Theatre, 9820 Washington Blvd, Culver City, Jan. 22-Feb. 13. Call (213) 628-2772 or visit kirkdouglastheatre.org

GRT MOUNTS A CANINE LOVE STORY PLUS A MUSICAL

A.R. Gurney's SYLVIA is the first production of 2005 at the Lonny Chapman Group Repertory Theatre in N. Hollywood. Directed by Shira Dubrovner, the play is about a man who brings home a dog, Sylvia, that becomes a rival for the affection he usually feels for his wife. The comedy opens Jan. 14 and spans the end of February.

The New York Times said: "Dramatic literature is stuffed with memorable love scenes, but none is as immediately delicious and dizzy as the one that begins the redeeming affair in SYLVIA...a hysterical comedy for anyone who's ever owned a dog, loved a dog, or wanted to wring a dog's neck."

Also opening at the GRT in January is MILAGRO!, a musical conceived by award-winning Las Vegas comedienne/writer Suzanne Buhrer and composed by the late Gene Casey and his brother Jan. The madcap, melodramatic musical farce opens Sat. Jan. 22 and plays on Saturdays at 2 PM and Sunday evenings at 7 PM through March 5.

Richard Alan Woody first directed and co-produced MILAGRO! in L.A. during the 1986-7 season. Under the title Flood Tide at Rio Magdalena, it won pick-of-the-week awards from both the L.A. Times and Daily News, enjoying a six-month run at the Centerstage in Woodland Hills. Among Woody's other credits are Sock It To the 60s, More Crazy Tunes, Bein' With Behan, Gene Casey's Theatresongs and Life X 3.

The GRT is located at 10900 Burbank Blvd in North Hollywood. Tickets are $16 with discounts for students, seniors and working actors. The theatre has free parking, handicapped access and seating. Call (818) 769-7529 or visit lcgrt.com

OKLAHOMA IN LOS ANGELES

Rodgers & Hammerstein's classic musical OKLAHOMA! returns to the Pantages Theatre for two weeks only, Jan. 18-30. Presented by NETworks and BroadwayLA, this newly conceived national tour, with direction by Fred Hanson and choreography by Ginger Thatcher, is adapted from the Cameron Mackintosh presentation of the Royal National Theatre production directed by Trevor Nunn with choreography by Susan Stroman recently seen in London and on Broadway. Anthony Ward's original designs (sets & costumes) and David Hersey (lighting) have been recreated for the tour.

Pantages Theatre, 6233 Hollywood Blvd. Call (213) 365-3500 or (714) 740-7878 or visit BroadwayLA.org. For information about the national tour of OKLAHOMA! visit oklahomaontour.com