Padraic Lillis (She Loves Me) directs the work which plays at the Flea Theatre, Aug. 24-28. Andrea Ciannavei produces.

The comedy, The Dirty Talk, poses the question "What happens when two melancholy strangers try to turn fantasy into reality?" The play was workshopped at LAB's Summer Intensive and annual Barn Series reading festival in 2001 with Stephen Adly Guirgis and David Zayas.

Casella is known for his television turns on "Doogie Howser, M.D." and "The Sopranos" as well as roles in the films "Ed Wood," "Newsies" and "Analyze This." The actor has appeared on stage in The Lion King, The Music Man on Broadway and Souls of Naples, Svejk Off-Broadway.

Cristaldi has been seen regionally in Skin of Our Teeth (StageWest), The Miser (Hartford Stage), Flickers (Actors Theatre of Louisville), the title role in Hamlet (Philadelphia's Arden Theatre) and productions at New York's Ontological Theatre, Ensemble Studio Theatre and Rattlestick Productions.

Lillis served as assistant director on Broadway's She Loves Me and subsequently directed the national tour. His work has been seen at Manhattan Theater Company, Manhattan Class Company, Playwright’s Horizons, The Roundabout, New York Theater Workshop, The Pearl, The Lark, and Young Playwrights festival. Playwright Puzzo has penned the plays How To Catch A Monkey, The Fiendish Curse Of The Mummy's Hand, Lyric Is Waiting and Faster Beats The Furious Heart —  all have performed in LAByrinth's annual Barn Series Festival. His newest play, She Talks To Rainbows was workshopped June at the 2005 LAByrinth Summer Intensive. Other credits include his one-act The Horseshoe King Of Jersey City (HBO's U.S. Comedy Arts Festival 2003). As an actor, Puzzo appeared in such LAB productions as Dirty Story, A Winter Party And In Arabia We'd All Be Kings.

For tickets to The Dirty Talk at The Flea Theater, 41 White Street (between Broadway and Church St.), call (212) 279-4488 or (888) FringeNYC (outside New York). For more information, visit www.thedirtytalk.com or www.FringeNYC.org.