The Winds of God, a tale of two contemporary comedians reincarnated as Kamikaze pilots in the final days of WWII, begins previews Sept. 7 at Off-Broadway's American Place Theatre for a run Sept. 16-Oct. 31.

Wiped out in a motorcycle accident on a Tokyo street, two men are reincarnated in the last days of World War II. At first, with their modern sensibilities, the two react with apathy to the goings-on around them. But slowly they begin to assimilate into their squadron and, by seeing their fellow officers leaving one by one on their missions of self sacrifice, they begin to understand they can't change history.

According to production spokesperson Susan Chicoine, Winds has "an Abbott and Costello feel" and falls into a traditional Japanese "manzai" style, theatrical comedy.

The Winds of God opens at The American Place Theatre following a third successful nation tour of Japan. The play was originally presented in the U.S. as a workshop at the Actors Studio in 1993.

The cast stars Masayuki Imai and Risu Matsumoto as the pilots and also features Atsushi Yoshida, Masanobu Yada, Hiroshi Shimizu and Ozaki. The play will be performed in English. For tickets or more information, call (212) 239-6200.

-- By David Lefkowitz and Sean McGrath