L.A.'s TheatreWorks will celebrate Black History Month with George C. Wolfe's satiric look at African American culture, The Colored Museum, Feb. 17-21, 1999.

Presented in eleven vignettes called "exhibits," Colored Museum includes the pieces "Git on Board," which features a stewardess named Miss Pat who serves as a flight attendant on a slave ship; "Cooking With Aunt Ethel," "The Photo Session," "Soldier With a Secret," "The Gospel According to Miss Roj," "The Hairpiece," "The Last Mama-On-The-Couch Play," where members of a black family compete to see who is more oppressed, "Symbiosis," "Lala's Opening," "Permutations" and "The Party."

Current artistic director of NY's Public Theatre, Wolfe also wrote the two musicals Paradise and Queenie Pie, as well as directing Jelly's Last Jam, Angels in America: Millennium Approaches and Bring in `Da Noise, Bring in `Da Funk (the latter two for which he won Tony Awards for Best Direction). These have not been the best of times for Wolfe, however, as he spent part of 1998 undergoing surgery, staged a poorly-received Macbeth, and made the decision to remount his hit Central Park revival of On The Town at the Gershwin Theatre, resulting in a $6 million flop set to close Jan. 17.

As for Museum, Reggie Montgomery (the original production of Museum) directs and stars with Loretta Devine (Big Deal, Dreamgirls, the original Museum), Vickilyn Reynolds (the original Museum, national tour of Noise/Funk), Charlie Robinson ("Buffalo Bill", "Night Court") and Charlayne Woodard (Neat, Pretty Fire, Tony nomination for Ain't Misbehavin').

Tickets are $32-$28 and available by calling the TheatreWorks box office at (310) 827-0889. As a part of "Kids Week at the Theatre," The Colored Museum is offering two free tickets for children under 18 with the purchase of an adult ticket for both Sunday performances. All "The Play's the Thing" theatre productions are recorded for future broadcast on Santa Monica College's KCRW 89.9FM.

-- By Christine Ehren