The play is famously set aboard the sleek, Chicago-to-New York-bound luxury train. Barbour (Jane Eyre, Beauty and the Beast) will play hungry and desperate theatre producer Oscar Jaffe, who is trying to lure movie star Lily Garland (Twyford), his former lover, back to the boards.

Ludwig's revision trims the large cast to a more economical size. The playwright had hits with Crazy for You and Lend Me a Tenor and less success with Moon Over Buffalo (which is regularly produced) and the musical The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.

Signature Theatre is the resident not-for-profit in Arlington, VA, where artistic director Eric Schaeffer has reimagined musicals (particularly those by Stephen Sondheim) to great acclaim. The Helen Hayes Award-winning company is also committed to new works.

The troupe held a reading of the new Twentieth Century in 2002.

In Manhattan, Roundabout Theatre Company is expected to present the New York premiere of the Ludwig Twentieth Century (in a separate staging expected to star Alec Baldwin) in the coming year. In the meantime, performances under Schaeffer's direction in Arlington begin Aug. 19 and continue to Oct. 5.

For more Signature Theatre information, visit www.sig online.org.