Double-casting True West seemed to do well for the Broadway revival of the Sam Shepard play; audiences never knew which of the two brothers Philip Seymour Hoffman and John C. Reilly would be until arriving at the theatre. The Alley Theatre in Houston, to add a little spice to their upcoming production of Yasmina Reza's Art, has six actors rotating among the comedy's three roles.

Translated from Yasmina Reza's French by Christopher Hampton (Les Liaisons Dangereuses), the Tony Award-winning Art traces the destruction and rebuilding of three men's friendship as an expensive piece of art — which looks just like a plain white canvas — comes between them. Serge, who purchases the work, can't understand why his pal Marc is so upset about his new painting, while the wishy-washy Yvan is caught in the fray, torn between his two best friends. Reza is also the author of The Unexpected Man and Life X Three.

Resident company members James Black, Paul Hope, K. Todd Freeman, David Rainey, John Tyson and Todd Waite will play Serge, Marc and Yvan in the production, running Oct. 5-Nov. 3. Black recently played in Not About Nightingales. A new addition to the Alley company, Freeman was Tony-nominated for The Song of Jacob Zulu.

Tickets are $50-$35. The Alley Theatre is located at 615 Texas Avenue. For reservations, call (713) 228-8421 or (800) 259-ALLE. The Alley Theatre is on the web at http://www.alleytheatre.com.

— By Christine Ehren