Four out of five captains agree, the stage is the place to be! (Or not to be, but that is the question, isn't it?)

Scott in L.A.

Scott Bakula has just begun a new show called "The Quality of Life," holding its world premiere at the Geffen Playhouse in the Westwood area of Los Angeles (adjacent to UCLA). He is part of a cast of four in a story which explores religion, politics and morality in the context of a "right to die" scenario, written and directed by Emmy Award winner Jane Anderson.

Bakula pairs up with JoBeth Williams to play "Bill and Dinah," a conservative Christian Midwest couple recovering from the loss of their daughter. They decide to visit their liberal cousins, Jeannette and Neil (Laurie Metcalf and Dennis Boutsikaris) who have just lost their home in a wildfire. Neil is also facing a terminal illness, coping with it in a pragmatic Zen approach, and the issues raised between the two couples serve to comment on the rift between the far right and the far left in this country.

"The Quality of Life" is currently in previews, and officially opens on October 10. It runs through November 18. Tickets are $69 or $74, depending upon the performance. Visit GeffenPlayhouse.com for more (roll over "Plays" in the upper menu, then click on "The Quality of Life").

Avery in D.C.

Avery Brooks is about to open an ambitious stage production in Washington D.C. about a 14th-century emperor in a play written by a 16th-century playwright. Brooks will perform the title role in "Tamburlaine" by Christopher Marlowe, a pre-Shakespeare work at the Shakespeare Theatre Company.

Loosely based on a medieval Central Asian warlord, the story "chronicles its hero's meteoric rise from humble origins to fearsome warrior and emperor of thousands," according to the theatre website. "With ravishing poetry, Marlowe ruminates on the corrupting influence of ambition and one man's overwhelming desire for immortality." Brooks' co-star is Franchelle Stewart Dorn (no relation to Patrick Stewart or Michael Dorn) as the Queen of Persia.

The show will be staged at the company's new 775-seat Sidney Harman Hall located at 610 F St. NW. It opens Sunday, October 28 and runs for 10 weeks, through January 6. For information and tickets, visit ShakespeareTheatre.org (if you don't see "Tamburlaine" on the home page, click on "The Plays" in the top menu).

Also at the Shakespeare Theatre Company in D.C., Rene Auberjonois will star next summer in "The Imaginary Invalid," a 17th-century French farce by Molière about a wealthy hypochondriac who tries to marry his daughter off to a doctor so he can get free medical care. That will be staged at the company's original 451-seat Lansburgh Theatre at 450 7th St. NW, and runs June 10 through July 27, 2008.

Kate in New York — Closing Weekend!

You only have a couple of days left to catch Kate Mulgrew in her critically acclaimed performance as Queen Clytemnestra in "Iphigenia 2.0" (related story). The politically charged analogy to contemporary issues is in its closing weekend at the Signature Theatre at 555 W. 42nd Street in New York. There are two performances Saturday and two on Sunday, and for all but the Saturday matinee, tickets are no longer available on-line. It's still possible to get $20 seats on Saturday if you show up at the theater in person at 1:00. You can also ask to be put on the waiting list for $65 seats an hour prior to each performance, in case of no-shows. Call (212) 244-7529 for more details.

Patrick in London

Patrick Stewart continues to earn rave reviews for what many are calling his best performance ever as "Macbeth," currently at the Gielgud Theatre in London's West End. He will perform the contemporization of Shakespeare's most famous tragedy through December 1. Visit Gielgud-Theatre.com for tickets. Then in February 2008 he will take it across the pond to New York for a short run at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.

Pictures of Stewart in "Macbeth" can be seen at this Showbuzz Photo Gallery.

Stewart has been nominated for a Theatrical Management Association (TMA) Award for his "Macbeth" performance. Those awards will be announced on Sunday, October 21. Next summer he will return to the Royal Shakespeare Company to play King Claudius in "Hamlet." That will run from July to November 2008 in the Bard's hometown of Stratford-upon-Avon.

So what about you, Bill? When are we going to see you tread the boards? Oh, you're too busy doing Boston Legal? And ramping up your new talk show Shatner's Raw Nerve? And collecting lifetime achievement awards? Okay, fine then...

Others on Stage: Abraham, Itzin, Alexander

F. Murray Abraham, "Ru'afo" in "Star Trek: Insurrection," is currently on Broadway doing a play that revolves around the subject of ... wait for it ... stamp collecting. You heard us right. "Mauritius" is the suspenseful tale of two sisters whose mother's death leaves them in possession of a rare stamp collection, and three high-stakes collectors who will do just about anything to own it. Abraham is one of those collectors, "a wealthy thug, a foul-mouthed, shady operator who derives almost sensual pleasure from his love of rare stamps," says a Daily Variety review. "Mauritius" is currently playing at the Biltmore Theatre on W. 47th Street, through November 18. Visit the Manhattan Theatre Club website for info.

Gregory Itzin, who has played numerous roles in Star Trek including "Hain" and "Dr. Dysek," is in Orange County starring in a fantasy adventure with the garrulous title, "Shipwrecked! An Entertainment: The Amazing Adventures of Louis de Rougemont (As Told by Himself)." The play is inspired by the true story of the unlikely hero of the title who spellbound Victorian England, and the world, with his tale of survival. "Shipwrecked!" is a show for the whole family, playing another week (every day but Monday) through Sunday, October 14. Visit the South Coast Repertory website for info.

Jason Alexander, who played "Kurros" in "Think Tank" and is otherwise a huge Star Trek fan, is directing a new production of "Damn Yankees" in Los Angeles. The Faustian tale about a man frustrated that his baseball team is constantly thwarted by the New York Yankees is being updated from 1950s Washington D.C. to 1981 Los Angeles, and the team in question is the L.A. Dodgers. That show will run November 6-25 at UCLA's Freud Playhouse. Visit the Reprise! Broadway's Best website for info.