LOS ANGELES -- Life on the inner-city streets of Detroit is the subject of Preston Whitmore's P.I.M.P. opening Sept. 10 at the Tiffany Theatre. The bill of two one-acts also includes Whitmore's Five A.M..

Directed and written by Whitmore, a budding screenwriter, the plays are produced by Gay Iris Porter and will run through Sept. 27.

P.I.M.P. stars actor/comedian Paul Farmer, a.k.a. Freeze Luv (on UPN TV's Malcolm & Eddie), in a solo performance about the life and times of a successful and unapologetic hustler named Slim Jenkins.

Soap opera star Yvonna Kopacz makes her L.A. theatrical debut in Five A.M., portraying five different roles.

"The characters in my plays are based on people I grew up with on the streets of Detroit, people that I know," said Whitmore. "A person like Slim Jenkins is what I saw first and, as a child, what I aspired to be. Kids covet what they see first. When I was a kid, I didn't know that there was a world outside the one square block I lived in." Tues.-Sat at 8 PM; Sun. at 7 PM. Tickets are $20. The Tiffany is at 8532 Sunset Blvd. Call (310) 289-2999 for more information.

-- By Willard Manus
Southern California Correspondent