New York's Repertorio Espanol, the U.S.'s oldest Spanish repertory theatre, will present the Venezuelan play, The Applause From Within ("El Aplauso va por Dentro"), starring Venezuelan stage and screen star, Mimi Lazo. The show opens Jan. 7.

Gerardo Blanco Lopez directs Monica Montanez's drama, which follows a divorced woman at an aerobics class. She re-examines her life as she reaches a milestone birthday.

Lazo, who studied acting in Rome, Caracas and NY's Lee Strasberg Institute is known around the world for her work in "telenovelas" -- Latin American soap operas. Producer Carolina Herrera said of Lazo, "I am delighted to join [Repertorio Espanol artistic director] Gilberto Zaldivar in bringing one of Venezuela's top stars to New York audiences. This play, which has received acclaim throughout the Spanish-speaking countries, touches everyone."

Applause, which earned Lazo a long-running record in Caracas, will come to Bogota', Mexico City and Puerto Rico in 1997. Lazo, who made her Venezuelan film debut in The Smoking Fish, has played Nina in The Seagull and Katherine in A View From The Bridge.

Applause is performed in Spanish, but simultaneous live English translation is available via headset. Four performances will be done in English with Spanish translation via headset (Jan. 7, 8, 14, 15). For tickets ($20-$25) and information on The Applause From Within, which runs to Jan. 19 at Repertorio Espanol in the Gramercy Arts Theatre building on East 27th St., call (212) 889-2850. -- By David Lefkowitz