Reason for Washington DC audiences to go back to kindergarten? Well, they can see Bonnie Franklin and James Whitmore there.

OK, so it's not kindergarten, per se; it's the comedy, All I Really Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarten, based on Robert Fulghum's folksy-wisdom best-seller, which begins previews at Ford's Theatre Sept. 23 and opens Sept. 29, for a run through Nov. 2.

Franklin, of TV's "One Day A Time," was Tony-nominated for Applause, appeared in a workshop of the revue Love And Shrimp, and appeared in 1995's Denial at CT's Long Wharf Theatre. Whitmore is best known for such one-man shows as Will Rogers U.S.A. and Give `Em Hell, Harry. His portrayal of President Harry Truman was filmed and eventually netted him an Oscar nomination.

Ernest Zulia, who adapted All I Really Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarten from humorous essays by Fulghum, will direct the DC production. David Caldwell will add original songs, while Gene Friedman (set), Michael Lincoln (lighting) and Noel Taylor (costumes) will design the vignette-style show.

Also starring in Kindergarten are Lara Teeter (Wizard Of Oz's Scarecrow at Madison Square Garden), Gary Holcombe (Big River) and Liz Sheridan (Happy End). Sheridan is best known for playing Jerry's mother on TV's Seinfeld. For tickets and information on All I Really Needed To Know I Learned In Kindergarten at Ford's Theatre on Tenth St., call 9202) 347-4833.

--By David Lefkowitz