Oliver Mayer's Joe Louis Blues closes its Los Angeles premiere Dec. 23 at the Tiffany Theater. Tony Award winner Tonya Pinkins stars in the play with music, set in the dual worlds of jazz and boxing.

Joe Louis Blues is set in 1940s Harlem where a local club is home to variety of dreams and ambitions. Vantyle Mayfield waits to win big in the lottery, coronet player Demas Dean dreams of the big time, and Leila Rivers refuses to ever sing the blues. In their midst steps boxer Joe Louis, who has deep needs of his own.

Mayer is also the author of boxing play Blade to the Heat, which is being made into a movie by Madonna's Mad Gui Productions. Other works include Conjuncto and Ragged Time.

Pinkins won her Tony for Jelly's Last Jam and appeared on Broadway in The Wild Party and Play On. Also in the cast are JD Cullum, Gregg Daniel, Abdul Salaam El Razzac, Russsell Hornsby, Sterling Macer Jr., Barry Primus and Ellis E. Williams. L. Kenneth Richard directs. A co-founder of Crossroads Theatre Company and the company's former artistic director, he is best remembered for discovering and directing The Colored Museum by George C. Wolfe.

Previews began Oct. 25 with an opening Nov. 3. Tickets are $15-$37.50. The Tiffany Theater is located at 8532 Sunset Boulevard. For reservations, call (310) 289-2999. The Tiffany Theaters are on the web at http://www.tiffanytheaters.com. — By Christine Ehren