The American premiere of British playwright Stephen Message's Scraps, about five 30-something Birmingham friends whose lives don't go according to plan, closes at Santa Monica Playhouse through Oct. 31, 1999. Scraps debuted last year at the Edinburgh Festival and had sell-out runs in London, Birmingham and other European cities before coming to Santa Monica. Message heads the cast, along with Julie Driscoll, Nicholas Cascone, Precious Chong and Irene Tassipoulos. Chris DeCarlo, co-artistic director at the Playhouse, is the director.

L.A.'s Backstage West called Scraps "a piece of dramedy that's delicious and teeth-grinding...just like real life, but with more charm. Performances are terrific."

Message graduated in Theatre Arts at Bretton Hall and has worked as an actor in everything from puppet theatre to open-air Shakespeare. His most recent work includes Lord Goring in An Ideal Husband by Oscar Wilde, and his one-man show Life Is a Drag.

The Santa Monica Playhouse is located at 1211 Fourth St. For tickets and information call (310) 394-9779 ext. 1

-- By Willard Manus
Southern California Correspondent