Berlin, who staged the original Off-Broadway production of Steel Magnolias, directs Diggs' ensemble family play that began performances Off-Broadway Sept. 17 and will run through Oct. 12.

The company comprises Jack Davidson, Julie Fitzpatrick, Fiona Gallagher, David Gelles Hurwitz, Polly Lee, Carole Monferdini, Judith Roberts and Tommy Schrider.

Close Ties, press notes state, "tells the story of three generations of the Frye family gathering at their vacation home in the Berkshires. The center for all of them has always been the willful matriarch, Josephine. The play reveals what happens to the very fabric of a family as they have to face the realization that this once indomitable center can no longer hold. It is a play that celebrates with humor and truth the mystery and very nature of family."

The creative team includes Michael Schweikardt (set design), Suzanne Chesney (costume design), Chris Dallos (lighting design) and David Lawson (sound design).

Elizabeth Diggs has also penned Nightingale, Goodbye Freddy, American Beef, Custer's Luck and Mother/Daughter/Mother, as well as the book for the Tom Jones-Harvey Schmidt musical Mirette. For tickets to Close Ties, priced $30, visit www.ensemblestudiotheatre.org or phone (212) 352-3101.

The Ensemble Studio Theatre is located at 549 West 52nd Street in Manhattan.