Back in 1900, before the Hamptons were the Hamptons, or Sag Harbor was considered the un-Hampton, Broadway saw a drama called Sag Harbor, a play by Southhampton resident James Herne which examined to lives of a clutch of East Enders. Nearly 100 years later, the Bay Street Theatre of Sag Harbor will stage a reading of that play, adapted by Bay Street Company Manager Tony Finstrom and retitled Sag Harbor Folks.

The one-time-only reading will occur at the theatre on Sept. 18 at 7:30 PM.

Herne, an American playwright who died soon after Sag Harbor opened, was the author of several works, including Margaret Fleming (1890) and Shore Acres (1892), and is credited with advancing realism in American drama. Sag Harbor was a rewritten version of his earlier play, Hearts of Oak, a collaboration with David Belasco which itself was an adaptation of an old melodrama, The Mariner's Compass.

The original production was of some note. It opened Oscar Hammerstein I's Theatre Republic, currently known as 42nd Street's New Victory Theatre, and the cast featured Lionel Barrymore and Herne, who often worked as an actor.

Admission to the reading is free to the general public, with seating on a first-come, first-serve basis. For further information call Bay Street at (516) 725 0818. --By Robert Simonson