Scott Schwartz, the current golden boy of Off-Broadway musicals (Bat Boy, tick,tick...BOOM!), will direct Henry Krieger and Bill Russell's Kept, when it makes its work premiere courtesy of TheatreWorks of Palo Alto, CA, April 10-May 5, 2002, at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts.

Schwartz recently opened his latest work, Manhattan Ensemble Theatre's adaptation of Kafka's The Castle, with William Atherton as K. From there, Schwartz told Playbill On-Line, he will helm a new tour of Godspell across the UK before focusing his attention on Kept.

This original tale of torrid lifestyles in the get rich-spend quick decade of Ronald Reagan features a twisted love triangle between a handsome med student, a mysterious Studio 54 party girl, and the ruthless millionaire who "keeps" her. As the romances disintegrate, the lives of the protagonists mirror that of the decade, bent on self-destruction.

Krieger and Russell have already had tremendous success in collaboration with TheatreWorks - the company launched the duo's touring comedy based on the "Ugly Duckling" story, Everything's Ducky. This musical look at supposed "duck" Serena's transforming journey from lonely girl on the farm to beautiful fashion model in the city made a hit in its initial Jan. 19-Feb. 13 at the Mountain View Center. Since then, the production has toured the U.S. with New York hopes for the future.

The Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts is located at Castro and Mercy Streets in Mountain View. For subscription information, call (650) 903-6000. TheatreWorks is on the web at http://www.theatreworks.org. —Robert Simonson
and Christine Ehren