Under the umbrella title "Three By 3", directors of various ethnic backgrounds have been staging Off-Broadway plays about different cultures. The series began Feb. 18 with Christopher Columbus, a philosophical play by Nikos Kazantzakis, directed by Lloyd Richards.

The second show, Mystery of the Rose Bouquet by Manuel Puig (author of the novel Kiss of the Spider Woman), was recently extended to Apr. 19 (a week past its scheduled Apr. 12 close). Puig's psychological thriller about the lives of two women is staged by Max Ferra, artistic director of INTAR, which is devoted to Hispanic theatre.

Rose Bouquet began previews Mar. 11 and opened Mar. 19 at INTAR, 420 West 42nd St. For tickets ($20) call (212) 279-4200.

Ending the "Three By 3" series is Aloha Las Vegas, a new play by Edward Sakamoto, author of Yellow is My Favorite Color and Manoa Valley. Sakamoto's comedy, about a widower leaving the serenity of Hawaii for "sin city" (a.k.a. Las Vegas), will be staged by Ron Nakahara, Apr. 17-May 16, at Pan Asian Rep, 423 West 46th St. For tickets call (212) 505-5655.

Asked how "Three By 3" came about, spokesperson Philip Bond (of Jeffrey Richards Associates) told Playbill On-Line (Feb. 5) that Ferra [pronounced fe-rah'] called King with the idea of a collaboration, and it just built from there. "The idea was for all three theatres to pool their resources," said Bond. -- By David Lefkowitz