LOS ANGELES -- The West Coast premiere of Richard Vetere's new comedy, The Engagement, takes place Sept. 17 at the Hudson Theatre in Hollywood.

Directed by Frank Licato, the play features Peter Gregory, Alicia Harding, Richard Steinmetz, Shane Stevens and Todd Tesen.

The Engagement focuses on the three friends of Tony, who is about to marry Susan. "They see married life as a nasty situation that could rear its ugly head and turn a perfectly good friend into an obedient husband -- lost forever to a world of mowing lawns, second mortgages and making babies," said a company spokesperson. They do all they can "to prevent Tom from making the biggest mistake of his life."

Vetere has written forty plays, including The Marriage Fool, First Love, Gangster Apparel and Four Cops. The latter two have been turned into motion pictures which will be released in 1998/99.

Vetere's first novel, The Third Miracle, was published last year by Carroll & Graf. The playwright is a member of the Actor's Studio Playwrights Unit and the New York Playwrights Lab.

Presented by Cineseek Theatrical and Ken Jung, The Engagement runs through Oct. 18. Tickets are $20. The Hudson is at 6539 Santa Monica Blvd. in the Theatre Row district. Call (800) 660-8587.

-- By Willard Manus
Southern California Correspondent