MORRISON CAPTAINS THEATRICAL SPACE.

Byline: Deborah Klugman Special to the Daily News

James Morrison probably is best-known as the up-and-coming star of the new Fox series "Space: Above and Beyond," a futuristic war drama in which he plays Col. McQueen, commander of a squadron of Marines.

But on rare occasions when he can slip away from the set, Morrison attends rehearsals of his play "Idle Wheels," being staged by the Road Theatre Company in North Hollywood.

"On the surface, it's about two families who have been friends for a long time," Morrison said of the play, set in 1973. "They live in a trailer court just outside Anchorage. They're all transplants from other states. And they've been friends for years and years and years."

Morrison says the play pays homage to his home state of Alaska. Central to his characters' experiences is "the enormity of the place, the mysticism of the physical environment."

But more germane than the Alaskan panorama is the cultural influence of its native inhabitants, the Inuits, who represent conglomerates of separate Eskimo traditions, Morrison said. The play's main character, Buzzy Greybill, becomes fascinated with these traditions and seeks to appropriate them as his own.

It is the conflict engendered by the young man's adoption of these traditions vs. his failure to understand them that fuels the play's dynamic.

"In his case, he's trying to possess something other than what he already does," Morrison said. "If you are trying to own something that you already possess, that's insanity."

"Idle Wheels" made its way to the Road Theatre Company via Morrison's association with director Richard Herd, who he met when they worked together at the Classical Theatre Lab here in L.A. It was his first play, written in 1984 but changed four times since then.

"I think it's because it's my first and it will never ever really be finished, and I just sort of have to stop and let it be what it is," mused Morrison.

Morrison has written several scripts since "Idle Wheels," one of which was produced last year by Los Angeles' Ensemble Studio Theatre and later adapted into a short film called "Parking." Morrison's wife, Riad Gayalini, produced the film, and it has since been screened at the Palm Springs Film Festival and the Santa Barbara Film Festival, among others.

"Space: Above and Beyond," which debuted in September, represents Morrison's highest TV profile to date. He also has made guest appearances on such series as "L.A. Law," "Quantum Leap" and "Frasier." On stage, he received a Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award for his performance in "El Salvador" at the old Gnu Theatre in North Hollywood.

As to his impetus to write, Morrison says, "I think it's the same as the impetus to make a pot, or to be a woodcarver. It's just to create something that you want to live (on) without you."

THE FACTS

The show: "Idle Wheels."

Where: The Road Theatre Company, 5108 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood.

When: Previews at 8 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Opens 8 p.m. Feb. 16 and continues at 8 p.m. Fridays through Sundays; through March 24.

Tickets: $15. A portion of proceeds will be donated to Haven Hills Inc., a shelter for abused women. For information, call [phone].

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PHOTO

Photo James Morrison, center, discusses his play "Idle Wheels" with actress Darlene Keyuan and director Richard Herd. John McCoy/Daily News