William Wycherly's bawdy Restoration comedy, The Country Wife, will open at the Pearl Theatre Company Jan. 4, 1999. Previews began Dec. 22 with a run through Jan. 31, 1999.

The Country Wife is the ribald tale of Horner, victim and victor of a sexual strategy that allows him access to supposedly virtuous women who then use him to the point of exhaustion. Typical of Restoration comedy, Wife focuses on the topics of sex, power and money as the set up for wordplay and double entendres.

Shepard Sobel directs Lisa Bansavage (Dainty Fidget), Robin Leslie Brown (Lady Fidget), Joanne Camp (Mrs. Squeamish), Hope Chernov, Patricia Dalen, Dan Daily, Matthew Gray, Robert Hock, Anna Minot, Christopher Moore, Paul Niebanck, John Prave, Edward Seamon, Missy Thomas and Ray Virta.

Set design is by Robert Joel Schwartz, costume design by Carol Brys, lighting design by Mark O'Maley and sound design by Robert Murphy. Lisa Ledwich is the stage manager.

Tickets ($33-$20) are available by calling the box office at 212-598 9802. The Pearl Theatre Company is located at 80 St. Mark's Place. -- By Christine Ehren