By Ernio Hernandez
17 Jan 2005

Stage and screen star Arliss Howard begins his run Jan. 18 in Caryl Churchill's lauded A Number at Off-Broadway's New York Theatre Workshop. The actor replaces Sam Shepard for the remainder of the engagement through Feb. 13.

Howard will portray the patriarch opposite Dallas Roberts — soon to be seen as Tom in the upcoming Broadway production of The Glass Menagerie — in the cloning drama, which began previews Nov. 16, 2004, and opened Dec. 7. James MacDonald directs the staging of the new 70-minute Churchill play originally slated through Jan. 16.

Actor Howard — who recently took to the NYTW stage as George. W. Bush in a reading of David Hare's Stuff Happens — has been seen on stage in The Late Henry Moss, Killer's Head, The Monogamist, Life and Limb, Geography of Luck, A Lie of the Mind, Fool for Love, How I Learned to Drive, In the Jungle of Cities and Ivanov. His many screen credits include "Full Metal Jacket," "Men Don't Leave," "Wilder Napalm," "Map of the World" and "Big Bad Love"; he also co-wrote and directed the latter.

In A Number, a son discovers that he is one of a number of clones produced by his father. Michael Gambon originally played the patriarch opposite Daniel Craig as three of a score of his multiple sons in the world premiere of the work at London's Royal Court Theatre.

The design team for A Number includes Eugene Lee (scenic), Gabriel Berry (costume), Edward Pierce (lighting) and Darron L. West (sound). Martha Donaldson serves as production stage manager.

Tickets to A Number at New York Theatre Workshop, 79 East 4th Street (between Second Ave. and Bowery) are available by calling (212) 239 6200. For more information, visit www.nytw.org.