Sure, it's one thing to watch a travelogue comedy travel from Rome to Milan. But to come back the next night and then watch it again backwards from Milan to Rome?

That's what New Jersey's Playwrights Theatre hopes to entice viewers to do with its presentation of Tom Jacobson's Ouroboros in a two-part, free concert reading Oct. 15 and 16.

A giant chronological palindrome, Ouroboros traces an American couples' journey through Italy as they face alchemy, stigmata and St. Catherine of Siena's head . Oct. 15, they will travel from Rome to Siena to Florence to Venice and end up in Milan. Oct. 16, they will do the exact opposite, finishing in Rome. Both trips are necessary to fully understand the playwright's puzzle.

Jacobson, a resident of Los Angeles, is the author of more than 30 plays. His most recent, Tainted Blood, was performed at the Road Theatre where it received an L.A. Weekly Award.

For reservations, call (973) 514-1787, ext. 31. Upcoming concert readings for January, February and March are Bart the Temp by Steve Feffer, Yearnings by Sachi Oyama, Cheat by Julie Jensen and Human Interest by Jeanmaire Williams. -- By Christine Ehren