The New Shows Go On--And On : Theatergoers will find ample March openings.

The month of March is filled with enough openings to satisfy almost any theatergoer. In the music department, look for the sprightly revue “Tune the Grand Up” at the Back Alley in Van Nuys, songstress Gogi Grant at Theatre West in Studio City, and the return of “Author! Author!--An Evening with Schalom Aleichem” at the Santa Monica Playhouse.

For serious drama, the lineup includes the world premieres of John Olive’s “The Voice of the Prairie” at the Back Alley, “The Heart Outright” at A Directors’ Theatre in Hollywood, “Sweet Victory” at the Burbank Theatre Guild and “Stand-Up Tragedy” at the Taper, Too.

In the mood for laughs? Try the newly transplanted Second City troupe at the New Mayfair in Santa Monica, and those wicked magicians Penn and Teller at the Wiltern in Los Angeles.

The following list, in chronological order, is divided between shows in the San Fernando Valley and Westside areas.

Valley:

March 2: “True West,” Sam Shepard’s rambunctious tale of battling brothers, opens at the Golden Theatre in Burbank.

March 5: John Olive’s “The Voice of the Prairie” opens at the Back Alley. Bob Clark directs the story of an old Irish storyteller and his grandson traveling the countryside in 1895. The cast includes Ronny Cox, Barry Gordon and Dick O’Neill.

March 7: “Tune the Grand Up” opens at the Back Alley (running alternate nights with “The Voice of the Prairie”). Rick Roemer (“Bittersuite”) directs this revue of the work of Tony winner Jerry Herman (“Mame,” “Hello, Dolly!” and “La Cage aux Folles”).

March 7: Brandon Thomas’ perennial comedy, “Charley’s Aunt,” opens at the new Donald O’Connor’s Family Theatre (formerly the “Show” Place) in Studio City. O’Connor and offspring Alicia and Freddie O’Connor are featured in the cast.

March 10: “Gogi Grant in Concert” is the second in a series of benefit performances for Theatre West.

March 10: Two one-acts, Richard Greenberg’s “The Author’s Voice” and Romulus Linney’s “FM,” open at the Alliance Theatre in Burbank.

March 11: David Higgins’ “Bonu$ Baby” has its world premiere at the Victory Theatre in Burbank. The play, about a semipro baseball player in the early 1960s, is directed by James Gammon.

March 16: L. Nathaniel Wolfe’s “Sweet Victory” opens at the Burbank Theatre Guild. Peter Tripp directs the true story of Clarence Darrow’s last trial (1925), representing a black family who, in the course of defending their home against a racist mob, found themselves facing murder charges.

March 17: The “Theatre West Fest” of short plays and one-acts opens for a six-week run. Each weekend will feature a different program of premieres, all products of the theater’s comedy, actor’s, writer’s and director’s workshops.

Westside:

March 8: Playwright Mark Medoff returns with “The Heart Outright,” a sequel to his “When You Comin’ Back, Red Ryder?” at A Directors’ Theatre in Hollywood.

March 9: The newly arrived Second City comedy troupe hangs out its shingle at the New Mayfair in “For a Good Time, Call 213-461-0621” (the number for ticket reservations).

March 10: “Balm in Gilead,” Lanford Wilson’s tale of the late-night lives of a group of New York hustlers in the 1960s, opens at the Heliotrope Theatre in Hollywood.

March 11: “Let Me Explain with Kedric Robin Wolfe,” a one-man excursion through obsessive love, opens at the Saxon-Lee Gallery in West Hollywood. Jazz musician David Zasloff opens the evening.

March 12: The award-winning comedy, “Author! Author!--An Evening with Schalom Aleichem,” returns to the Santa Monica Playhouse. Chris De Carlo reprises his portrayal of Schalom Aleichem, with music by Ben Weisman.

March 12: Edward Albee’s Pulitzer Prize-winning “Seascape” opens at Theatre 40 in Beverly Hills. Brian Nelson directs the story of two humans and two lizards who meet on a deserted beach.

March 17: Bill Cain’s “Stand-Up Tragedy” premieres at Taper, Too. Ron Link (“Happy Jack”) directs the story of an abused boy and the teacher who attempts to rescue him from gangs, drugs and his own family.

March 16: “Rent a Family, Part One,” Paul Verdier’s adaptation of Joe Frank’s stories, premieres at Stages Trilingual Theatre in Hollywood. The dark comedy centers on a divorced woman who leases herself and her two children to a lonely publishing executive.

March 17: Mitch Giannunzio’s “The Pet Show” opens at the Santa Monica Playhouse. Lawrence Osgood directs Bibi Besch, Kenneth Tigar and Barbara Whinnery.

March 18: The Mark Taper Forum’s Improvisational Theatre Project premieres Lisa Loomer’s “Bocon!” at the Barnsdall Gallery Theatre in Barnsdall Park. The play, about the travels of a young boy, Miguel, from Central America to the United States, will also tour Los Angeles schools during the month.

March 27: Oddball magicians Penn and Teller return to Los Angeles with their death-defying, ultra-hip act at the Wiltern Theatre for four weeks.

March 31: “Nine,” the Tony award-winning musical with book by Arthur Kopit and music by Maury Yeston, opens at the Gene Dynarski Theatre in Hollywood.

March 31: Kenneth B. Davis’ “South of Where We Live,” which was nominated for three NAACP theater awards, returns to the Theatre of Arts in Hollywood. Sy Richardson directs.