LOS ANGELES -- The world premiere of Love 40, a musical by Stephen Downs and Toni Handcock Downs, opens April 24 at the Hudson Avenue Theatre for a six-week run.

Allan Hunt directs a cast that includes Marcia Rudd, Susan Edwards, Robert Pine and Bob Neches.

A company spokesperson said Love 40 traces "the journey and competitive spirit of two women who are both in their forties . . . and find themselves starting over again after their respective marriages have failed. It is told through the eyes of longtime friends and tennis partners who have enough balls to enter the game at any age and are savvy enough to keep playing until they've met their match. These are women who refuse to be defeated by the odds, play by the rules, or be held down by another generation's voices -- whether their mothers' or their daughters'. After all, whether you're playing singles or doubles, 'even tennis begins with love.'"

Produced by the Artists' Collective in association with Hands Down Productions, the musical will be performed Thu. and Fri. at 8 PM at the theatre, 6539 Santa Monica Blvd. For tickets, $25, call (818) 789- 8499.

-- By Willard Manus
Southern California Correspondent