The new man in the equation is, of course, Samuel Beckett. The evening will consist of Albee's Counting the Ways and Beckett's Not I, Footfalls and A Piece of Monologue. Albee and Beckett are not strangers, but have been linked since the start of Albee's career. Albee's career-making first play, Zoo Story, was paired with Beckett's Krapp's Last Tape at the Provincetown Playhouse in 1960. Since then, Albee has been a steadfast fan and supporter of his Irish colleague, routinely proclaiming Beckett as his favorite playwright. Beckett/Albee will be directed by Lawrence Sacharow and will officially open at Oct. 9. Counting the Ways is one of Albee's brittle marital plays, with a man and a woman whimsically analyzing their relationship. It premiered in 1976 and was revived by the Signature Theatre Company when they devoted a season to Albee's work. Murray and Seldes will perform the piece. Seldes alone will do Not I and Footfalls, while Murray will handle A Piece of Monologue. All three are among Beckett's many shorter works, many of which last just a few minutes and sometimes have very few words of text.

"Beckett/Albee" will have set and costume design by Catherine Zuber, lighting design by Michael Chybowski, and sound design by Mark Bennett and Ken Travis.