Stage and film veteran Harold Gould plays the title character in Jeff Baron's comedy, Visiting Mr. Green, at Queens Theater in the Park in New York, May 6-14. Gould has already played the role at the Pasadena Playhouse, though that mounting was directed by Andrew J. Robinson, and this one will be staged by author Baron himself.

Gould has appeared on Broadway is such plays as Neil Simon's Fools, Jules Feiffer's Grown Ups and Tom Stoppard's Artist Descending a Staircase. Off-Broadway, Gould appeared in the original production of John Guare's The House of Blue Leaves. He won an Obie Award for his performance in Vaclav Havel's The Increased Difficulty of Concentration and an L.A. Drama Critics' Award for Incommunicado. Gould's films include "The Sting" and "The Front Page," while his television work ("Rhoda," "The Golden Girls") has garnered him five Emmy nominations.

Appearing opposite Gould in Green will be James Kall.

Visiting Mr. Green debuted Off-Broadway Dec. 15, 1997, with Eli Wallach as star. Later on in the run, Hal Linden replaced Wallach. The Mr. Green of the title is a surly, 80s-age widower living on NY's Upper West Side. Amiable Ross Gardiner intrudes on this setting -- by nearly running Mr. Green down with his car. Sentenced, as community service, to visit Green weekly for six months, Gardiner establishes an odd friendship with the old man.

The first full-length play by Baron, a writer for TV's "Tracy Ullman Show" and "Sisters," Visiting Mr. Green helped net Wallach the first annual Edith Oliver Award for "excellence Off-Broadway." For tickets ($24) and information on Visiting Mr. Green at QTIP in Flushing Meadows Corona Park, call (718) 760-0064.

-- By David Lefkowitz