LOS ANGELES -- A special "Pay What You Can" performance of Neat will be given on Wednesday, Jan. 14 at the Mark Taper Forum in L.A.

Neat, written and performed by Charlayne Woodard and directed by Daniel Sullivan, opens Jan. 11 and runs through Feb. 1.

According to a company spokesperson, Neat is an autobiographical work that follows Woodard's coming of age in an urban African-American family -- a rite of passage that happens to coincide with the burgeoning black pride activism of the late '60s.

The central character in the one-woman show is Woodard's beloved Aunt Neat.

When it premiered in early-1997 at NY's Manhattan Theatre Club, Neat was hailed as "a powerful, heartbreaking and beautiful tale" by the New York Times. A limited number of tickets for the Jan. 14 "Pay What You Can" performance will go on sale at 12 noon on the day of the show, and must be purchased in person at the box office. Tickets are on a cash-only basis, subject to availability and limited to two per person. The show begins at 8 PM.

-- By Willard Manus
Southern California Correspondent