With Death of a Salesman, The Producers and Sweet Smell of Success all successful transfers from Chicago to New York, 2001 Regional Tony Award honoree Victory Gardens figured they should get in on the action, too. The Windy City based new-works company will host a series of readings entitled "From Chicago to New York" March 18 at NYC's Maverick Theatre.

The offerings, which played Victory Gardens in Chicago and hope for New York interest, include Charles Smith's Knock Me a Kiss, Claudia Allen's Fossils and James Sherman's Door to Door. Sherman is the best known of the playwrights. He penned Beau Jest and its sequel, Jest a Second.

Set during the Harlem Renaissance, Knock Me a Kiss depicts the love triangle between Yolande Du Bois (daughter of W.E.B.), poet Countee Cullen and jazz saxophonist Jimmy Lunceford.

Fossils takes retired schoolteacher Carrie on vacation to the shores of Lake Michigan, where she discovers Abigail and several sweet truths about herself.

Door to Door is another look at Jewish home life, this time seen through the eyes of three generations of Jewish women. For reservations, call (773) 549-5788, ext. 104. The Maverick Theatre is located at 307 West 26th Street. For more information on the Victory Gardens, visit http://www.victorygardens.org.

— By Christine Ehren