Stephen Belber's Tape, the tense three-hander currently enjoying an extended run at Off-Broadway's Naked Angels, will move on to a Los Angeles production at the Court Theatre in May.

Tape, which has a hit at the 2000 Humana Festival of New American Plays at the Actors Theatre of Louisville, and inspired a film version, officially opened in New York City at the hands of Naked Angels on Jan. 17. The play began performances Jan. 8 at the Jose Quintero Theatre (534 W. 42nd Street). Since then it has extended to March 9.

Actor-director Geoffrey Nauffts directs a trio made up of Dominic Fumusa, Josh Stamberg and Alison West.

Tape was praised as one of the best presentations of the 2000 Louisville festival. But it was the recently released and highly praised low-budget film, starring Robert Sean Leonard, Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman, that really made the work's name. Richard Linklater directed the flick.

Billed as an edgy drama that delves into the ideas of social and personal responsibility, Tape concern a reunion of pals at a regional film festival. On-the-rise filmmaker Jon attends the Lansing Film Festival and meets up with hometown pal Vince, who never let go of an incident involving Jon and a high school girlfriend, Amy, now a district attorney. —By Robert Simonson