The co-production with the Cleveland Play House (where it just ran Sept. 7-Oct. 3) is directed by the playwright will open Oct. 20 at the Texas company's Hubbard stage for a run through Nov. 7.

In Leading Ladies, Ludwig spins a tale in which two unlucky Shakespearean actors hit bottom as they are reduced to performing in the Amish countryside of Pennsylvania. When a wealthy old woman comes looking for her two long-lost heirs, comedy ensues.

The ensemble features stars of stage and screen Lauria ("The Wonder Years," Ears on the Beatle), Barrett (Chicago; Kiss Me, Kate), Connell (Mame, Lend Me a Tenor), Dilly (Follies, the upcoming Chitty Chitty Bang Bang), Duva (The Elephant Man), Jacoby (Show Boat), Kohl (Grease!) and McGeever (Chaucer in Rome).

Ludwig has authored Tony Award winners Crazy for You and Lend Me a Tenor as well as Moon Over Buffalo and the recent adaptation of Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur's Twentieth Century.

Leading Ladies featues the design team of Neil Patel (set), Judy Dolan (costumes) and John Gromada (sound). Tickets to Leading Ladies at the Alley Theatre, 615 Texas Avenue in Houston, TX are available by calling (713) 228-8421. For more information, visit www.alleytheatre.org.