Loretta Greco, who piloted Two Sisters and a Piano at the Public Theater Off Broadway last season, now directs Ruben Santiago-Hudson’s Lackawanna Blues at the same venue. The drama stars Tony winning Santiago-Hudson and began previews April 6 at LuEsther Hall. The show officially opens April 14 for a run through May 6.

Santiago-Hudson won his Tony for August Wilson's Seven Guitars, in which he played a gentle and comical philosopher-musician. He has, however, rarely been seen on the New York stage since. He was featured in Henry VIII in Central Park in 1997, and starred Off-Broadway in 1998 in Deep Down, a play by Doug Grissom. The following year, he performed in A Raisin in the Sun at the Williamstown Theatre Festival in Massachusetts.

Blues takes place in 1956 in Lackawanna, New York and centers on Miss Rachel's boarding house, a gathering spot for "would-be philosophers, petty hustlers, lost souls, and abandoned lovers." Original music will be composed and performed live by guitarist Bill Sims.

For more information, call (212) 239-6200.

-- By Robert Simonson