LOS ANGELES -- Cornerstone Theatre Company will present its 1998 tour of Everyman in the Mall, beginning July 16 at Santa Monica Place, then traveling to Fashion Square in Sherman Oaks.

Adapted from the 15th-century morality play Everyman, this contemporary adaptation is co-directed by Shishir Kurup and Bill Rauch.

The production moves the audience around the mall after-hours, with action occurring on the escalators, elevators, service corridors and other mall locales. As the cast rotates through the title role on his/her spiritual journey to death, the mall setting informs the text's main theme of the limitations of materialism.

Cornerstone has performed Everyman in the Mall before, in 1996 and 1997.

The cast includes Cornerstone actors C.J. Jones, Peter Howard, Page Leong and Armando Molina, and guest actors Chris Anthony, Mike Hagiwara, Michele Mais and Diane Robinson. "The mall has a largely untapped potential to be a place where communities interact creatively together. That's why it's so important to have art in the mall," said Cornerstone's managing director Leslie Tamaribuchi.

Audience members are advised to wear comfortable shoes. The production is wheelchair-accessible.

The show runs July 16-19 at Santa Monica Place, Fourth and Broadway, Santa Monica. The box office is on the second level of the mall between the GTE Phone Mart and Robinson's-May.

The show runs at the Fashion Square in Sherman Oaks on July 30-31 and Aug. 1-2. Fashion Square is at 14006 Riverside Drive.

The show runs 9 PM Thursday through Saturday, and 7 PM Sunday. Thursday are pay-what-you-can. Tickets are $15 at other times, with discounts for students and seniors. For reservations, call (310) 449-1700.

-- By Michael Farkash
Southern California Correspondent