Second Stage unveils slate

'Boys' Life' among string of upcoming productions

By GORDON COX

An expected Gotham stint for a Humana Fest hit and a new comedy from Douglas Carter Beane are among the productions on the 2008-09 slate at Second Stage Theater.

Also on the bill is a 20th anni production of Howard Korder's play "Boys' Life," along with one more show yet to be announced.

"Becky Shaw," the play by Gina Gionfriddo ("After Ashley") that set legiters buzzing at the Humana fest of new plays earlier this spring, will begin previews in January ahead of a mid-February opening.

Peter DuBois, who directed the show at Humana, will again helm the story of a married couple who arrange a blind date between a ruthless money manager and a needy young woman. No casting has been set, although David Wilson Barnes is expected to reprise his role as the money manager.

Last season Second Stage presented "The Scene," the Theresa Rebeck play that had been the standout at the 2006 Humana Fest.

The latest by Beane ("Xanadu"), centering on two gossip columnists in search of new scandals, will begin previews in mid-March and open in early April.

Scribe's play "The Little Dog Laughed" bowed at Second Stage in 2006 before its Rialto run last season.

Korder's 1988 work "Boys' Life," about the lives of three college friends in the city, opens the Second Stage season in mid-September, opening in mid-October.

A fourth offering for the 2008-09 season remains to be nailed down. Next up for Second Stage is the org's Second Stage Uptown series, which begins with Carly Mensch's "Len, Asleep in Vinyl" in May.