Love, loss, life and golf - with a dab of space exploration - are at the heart of Carter W. Lewis' Golf With Alan Shepard, playing in the Virginia Stage Company's Wells Theatre Feb. 20-March 12, officially opening Feb. 25. Playwright Lillian Garrett-Groag (Magic Fire) directs.

In Golf With Alan Shepard, four elderly men meet on a golf course in Ohio to discuss life and play their weekly round of golf. Each man has his own hangups, from Larkin's struggle with abandoning the priesthood to Griff's obsession with tennis players, a group he abhors. Lewis' An Asian Jockey in Our Midst won the 1996 Rosenthal New Play Prize.

John Fiedler leads the cast as Ned. The voice of Piglet in Disney's "Winnie the Pooh," Fiedler appeared in the Broadway, film and television versions of A Raisin in the Sun and The Odd Couple. Other credits include Broadway's Our Town, A Little Hotel on the Side and The Crucible, alongside over 37 film appearances ("Twelve Angry Men," "True Grit"). Also in the cast are Frank Lowe (Julie Taymor's Titus Andronicus) as Griff, David Rogers as Milt and Alan Mandell as Larkin.

Designing Golf With Alan Shepard are David Fortuna (sets), Patricia Darden (costumes), Kenton L. Yeager (lighting) and Zachary Williams (sound).

Tickets are $33.50-$23.50. The Wells Theatre is located at the corner of Monticello Avenue and Tasewell Street. For reservations, call (757) 627 1234. -- By Christine Ehren