By Christopher Cappiello

Pacino Still Wilde for Salome

Al Pacino is known to fixate on projects for years, and Salome, perhaps Oscar Wilde's strangest and least produced work, has been a longtime object of the legendary actor's obsession. He brings his latest exploration of the play -- a concert-style reading with original music -- to the Wadsworth Theatre for a month beginning April 14.

Originally written in French for the great actress Sarah Bernhardt, the highly stylized play tells the biblical legend of King Herod (Pacino) and the beautiful Salome (Jessica Chastain, a 2003 Julliard grad). Herod lusts for Salome, while Salome pines for the imprisoned John the Baptist (Kevin Anderson). The king makes her an offer he thinks she can't refuse, and lust and revenge collide headlong when she answers.

Pacino and director Estelle Parsons developed this production over time at New York's Actors Studio, which the two actors help run these days. The reading was first presented to the public in Brooklyn in 2003, with a Broadway run the following year. Further back, I remember seeing Big Al in a fully staged production of Salome at New York's Circle in the Square in the summer of 1992. At that time, Pacino's Herod was a jaded, fey, slightly mincing figure, speaking in high-pitched sing-song tones as he repeated, "Saaaaalome, dance for me," with his inimitable combination of exaggerated proper speech and a Bronx accent that refuses to hide. It was bizarre, surprising, and oddly riveting.

For this current incarnation, Pacino and Parsons employ music stands to hold scripts (although chances are the actors don't really need to peek), and contemporary clothing. Anytime Al hits the stage -- and he does so with admirable regularity -- it's an almost instant sellout. So call (213) 365-3500 or visit www.WadsworthTheatre.com soon for tickets.

Equinox Shines Light on Bloomsbury Group

The convention-defying views of life and love that characterized the famous Bloomsbury Group come to the stage in Joyce Sachs' Equinox, enjoying its world premiere at the Odyssey Theatre this month. With Virginia Woolf as its most famous member, the Bloomsbury Group was a collection of bohemian Brits from the first half of the 20th century. Sachs has imagined a single day in the life of Woolf's sister, Vanessa Bell, her longtime partner Duncan Grant, and his old friend, mountaineer George Mallory. "They were the ultimate Bloomsbury characters," Sachs says of painters Grant, who was gay, and Bell, who was married. While they lived together for more than 50 years and had a daughter, "Grant had many, many male lovers," Sachs explains, "but he was devoted to her." Equinox imagines what happens when Mallory surprises Bell and Grant with a weekend visit aimed at convincing Grant to climb Mount Everest with him. Sachs' extensive research uncovered a letter from Grant to Mallory referring to a kiss between the two men. "I actually held that letter in my hand at the Tate Library!" she explains, with obvious passion for her subject. Equinox begins previews April 8 and runs through May 28. For information and tickets, call (310) 477-2055 or visit www.OdysseyTheatre.com.

From Will & Grace to the OC

Wasting no time after taping the series finale of Will & Grace, Megan Mullally drops her boozy and bawdy Karen Walker persona and returns to the concert stage to remind us what an amazing singer she is. Over five nights (April 18-22) at the Orange County Performing Arts Center, Mullally and her band, Supreme Music Program, pull out a varied set ranging from Kurt Weill to Broadway to Randy Newman. For information and tickets, call (714) 556-2787, or visit www.ocpac.org.