2 Lives centers on the complicated life of a 72 year-old playwright and his lover of 35 years. Following a five-year hiatus, the scribe's work is sought for Broadway, resulting in a sudden flow of inspiration. This newfound cascade of writing is cut short by the death of his long-time partner.

The cast of 2 Lives includes Tom Aldredge (The Crucible, Passion), Michael Kaye, Susan Kellerman (Judgment at Nuremberg), Jeremiah Kissel, Helen McElwain, Cigdem Onat (A Time of the Cuckoo), James Sutorius (Conversations With My Father, the Sam Waterston Hamlet) and Elizabeth Wilson (Waiting in the Wings, Morning's at Seven).

Huntington artistic director Nicholas Martin directs the new work. The design team features James Noone (set), Jeff Carnevale (lighting), Theoni V. Aldridge (costume) and Ben Emerson (sound).

Martin told Playbill On-Line (Feb. 25) that the aim is to bring 2 Lives to Lincoln Center Theater in July 2004.

2 Lives is roughly based on the lives of Laurents and his longtime romantic partner. After a long period of relative dormancy as a playwright, Laurents himself has had a resurgence in recent years with a flurry of new works, including Big Potato, Venecia, Claudia Lazlo and The Vibrator. Laurents is the author of plays such as Home of the Brave, A Clearing in the Woods, Invitation to the March, The Enclave, Scream, The Radical Mystique, My Good Name and Jolson Sings Again. His musical credits include West Side Story, Gypsy, Anyone Can Whistle, Do I Hear A Waltz?, Hallelujah, Baby! and Nick & Nora. Also known as a director (La Cage aux Folles, Invitation to a March, I Can Get It for You Wholesale and his own Gypsy), Laurents also wrote the screenplay to "The Way We Were."

Lyric Stage Company is located at 140 Clarendon Street in Boston. Tickets are available by calling (617) 437-7172. For more information, visit their web site at www.lyricstage.com.