Last chance to catch Tony Award-winner Len Cariou starring in Himself, a world premiere play with music about novelist James Joyce. The show opened Dec. 31, 1997 and ends Feb. 15, 1998 at Boca Raton, FL's Caldwell Theatre Company.

With a cast of four, Himself celebrates "the life and loves" of Joyce, author of "Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Man," "Ulysses" and "Finnegan's Wake." The book for Himself is by Sheila Walsh, who collaborated on the lyrics with composer Jonathan Brielle.

If a musical about one of the 20th century's most complex novelists sounds odd, don't forget that Joyce himself was known for his beautiful Irish tenor.

Cariou, the Tony-winning star of Sweeney Todd, appeared last se the Caldwell in Papa (which he also performed Off Broadway). The actor has made a recent career of one-man shows; prior to Papa came 1989's Mountain, about Justice William O. Douglas. George Rondo directs Himself.

The Caldwell season opened Nov. 9 with the Florida premiere of Jon Marans' Old Wicked Songs. The world premiere of The Gardens of Frau Hess follows Himself, running Feb. 22-April 5. The wife of Nazi war criminal Rudolph Hess, a high ranking beautiful German woman, hires a Jewish man of questionable background to tend her gardens during the war. The season closes with nothing but Romance/Romance , running April 12-May 24. With book and lyrics by Barry Harman and music by Keith Herrmann, the musical tells two different stories of love and romance - one set in turn-of-the-century Vienna, and the other in present day New York, where two couples rent a summer house in the Hamptons.

For subscriptions to the season, tickets to Caldwell's current production The Heiress, or information on upcoming summer productions, call (561) 241-7432, or refer to the Caldwell Theatre regional listing on Playbill On-Line.

-- By Blair Glaser and David Lefkowitz