By Kai Bisby

Theater Theater Everywhere

Love! Valuor! Compassion!

All right, darlings, it's time to get out and about and explore the wonderful world of theater in Los Angeles. Therefore, I have a few shows that you must see if you consider yourself (or would like to become) an underground theater maven of our fair city.

Who needs to go to New York for a musical when they can simply go to a theater in Los Angeles and see a show set in Manhattan, not to mention Tony winner Daisy Eagan, Tony nominee Valerie Pettiford, and Sally Kellerman playing some sort of Latina? Get your tickets now for the West Coast premiere of The Wild Party by five-time Tony Award nominee Michael John LaChiusa, opening Oct. 15 at The Hudson Mainstage Theatre (6539 Santa Monica Blvd.). This musical fable set against the back-drop of Manhattan's decadence of the 1920s was nominated for seven Tony Awards in 2000, including Best Musical, and is sure to be a critical and audience favorite here in L.A., as were LaChiusa's other musicals, Hello Again and First Lady Suite. All brought to you by the Blank Theatre Company, which is an artist-run theater company that is all about developing live theater in Los Angeles. For tickets and information, call (323) 661-9827.

For more Broadway-meets-Hollywood fare, Terrance McNally's Tony-Award winning play Love! Valour! Compassion!, directed by Derek Charles Livingston, opened at The Attic Theatre (5429 W. Washington Blvd.), playing through Nov. 5. McNally explores the friendships, love, and sexuality of eight gay men who spend the summer together in a country home. The play garnered the 1995 Tony Awards for Best Play and Best Actor, as well as the 1995 GLAAD Theatre Award for Best Play. For tickets and information, call (323) 525-0600, x2.

For those of you snobs for whom nothing less than Shakespeare will suffice, you're in luck. October is riddled with witches and fury from the woman scorned when Macbeth arrives on Oct. 6, set (get this) in the streets of downtown Los Angeles in a "walk about" production brought to you by the appropriately named Frantic Redhead Productions. Experience the Scottish castles, fields, and battles among the high-rises, gardens, and courtyards of downtown. Audiences will gather at the Central Public Library (630 W. 5th Street-across from the Library steps) for a 7:15 p.m. start time.

And finally, the 1939 play Johnson Over Jordan premieres Oct. 14 at the brand-new Unknown Theater (1110 Seward Ave., Hlywd.) This surreal and powerful "adventure in theater" follows the afterlife of a man who takes an extraordinary journey. For tickets and information, call (323) 466-7781.