On Jan. 17 and 18, readings of A.R. Gurney's newest play, Ancestral Voices, took place at Lincoln Center's Mitzi Newhouse Theatre. Dan Sullivan, who directs Gurney's current (and recently extended) show at the Newhouse, Far East, also helmed the readings.

According to Gurney's agent, Gilbert Parker (of the William Morris Agency), the play is similar to Gurney's Love Letters in that it isn't staged, per se. In Voices, five actors sit on stage and read the script, making it easy to have rotating casts. Parker says in the next couple of weeks, a decision will be made as to the next step to take with the piece.

A play about a young man, his parents and his grandparents, Ancestral Voices at the Newhouse featured Robert Sean Leonard as the lead, with Debra Monk and James Rebhorn as his parents, and "Lou Grant" cronies Nancy Marchand and Mason Adams as his grandparents.

Gurney has been positively ubiquitious these past few months. His Darlene and the Guest Lecturer recently played in New Jersey (though that has no plans to reach NYC, according to agent Parker). Far East has been extended to June 6, Off-Broadway. Alec Baldwin and Kim Zimmer will do a benefit reading of Love Letters on Broadway Jan. 25, and on Valentine's Day, Feb. 14, an "opened up," television version of Love Letters, starring Honour's Laura Linney and "Wings'" Steven Webber, on ABC-TV.

-- By David Lefkowitz