Austin Pendleton, who starred on Broadway last season in the revival of The Diary of Anne Frank , will play Claudius and the Ghost in a new production of Hamlet by New York's Frog & Peach Theatre Company. The plays will begin performances Jan. 28 for a Jan. 31, 1999 opening and a run through Feb. 21, 1999.

Over the past decade, the Obie Award-winning Pendleton has made a habit of accepting big roles in classics presented by small Off-Off-Broadway companies. One of his first such roles was, in fact, the title role in Hamlet, staged by the now-defunct Riverside Shakespeare Company. Recent roles have included Richard III and Iago.

Pendleton began his acting career in the original production of Oh Dad, Poor Dad... by Arthur Kopit and directed by Jerome Robbins. Other credits include Fiddler on the Roof , The Last, Sweet Days of Isaac , The Sorrows of Frederick , Sophistry , acting in the Mike Nichols The Little Foxes and directing the Elizabeth Taylor The Little Foxes . His movies include "What's Up, Doc?," "Simon," "Mr. and Mrs. Bridge" and "Amistad." He's also author of the acclaimed plays Booth and Uncle Bob.

Also in the cast of Hamlet are Matthew Barton, Joe Corey, Tom Fenaughty, Josephine Gallarello, Mervyn Haines, Jr., Walter F. Hauck, Vivien Landau, Jerry Less, Tom Marsden, John Steinfels and Jim Williams. Ted Zurkowski will play Hamlet. Lynnea Benson will direct.

Admission is free. Call (212) 946-5321 for information on Hamlet . -- By Robert Simonson