LOS ANGELES -- Beirut, a futuristic drama by the late Alan Bowne, will open June 11 at the Jewel Box Theatre Center and run through July 31. The action revolves around Torch (Randy Irwin), who is a plague victim, and his disease-free girlfriend Blue (Carol Anne Raffa). Sex having been banned in this totalitarian society, the couple have been arrested for defying the law. Then they come under the sway of a masochistic guard (Ralph Guzzo), who offers to spare their lives in return for sexual favors.
Walter Goodman of the New York Times hailed Beirut as having "power and poetry...a Romeo and Juliet of the boroughs, an East Side Story."
The Jewel Box is at 1951 Cahuenga Blvd. Call (323) 469- 4343.
-- By Willard Manus
Southern California Correspondent