For several years, his stage name has been Ziskie, but when he most recently returned to Utah for his role of George Bernard Shaw in PTC's "Sherlock Holmes & the West End Horror," the spelling had been changed. "Zischke is the legal spelling," Kurt Zischke said. "When we had Alexandra (their 15-month-old daughter), with the insurance and other things, it was just too confusing, so we went back to my original family name."

He added, "Tori (his wife's nickname) and I are thrilled to be working together and back at PTC, one of our favorite theaters in the country.

"And this is the third time we've played a husband and wife in Utah." (They played John and Abigail Adams in the Utah Shakespearean Festival's 2003 production of "1776.") The Zischkes make their home in Beacon, N.Y., an arts community on the Hudson River some 50 miles north of Manhattan. Zischke said that while he drove to Salt Lake City, his wife and their daughter flew in, so they can have their own transportation while spending the next few weeks in Utah.

The largest role in the show is that of Brutus, Zischke said. "We all read 'Julius Caesar' in the ninth grade, and I saw the Brando movie, but I don't remember it. It's kind of a two-part play — the first part is all about the assassination and the second is the fallout and how the killing affected the state of things. It's a very interesting, kind of puzzling play, and very appropro for the kinds of things going on in the world today."

Victoria said in the same interview, "I have a very interesting death. I swallow hot coals. Portia is kind of a feisty wife. I think Chuck (Morey) has a great take on it and it will be interesting to see what the audiences think.

"We're doing this politically-driven show and our nanny is majoring in political ethics."

Victoria also noted that there is another married couple in the production — Ross Bickell, who plays Julius Caesar, and Dierdre Madigan who is Caesar's wife, Calpurnia.

"Being married couples, it brings a certain depth to the on-stage relationships right off the bat," Victoria said, "but we've also had some fun moments during rehearsals." (Kurt and Bickell both performed in PTC's earlier production of "Richard III.")

Several well known local Equity players also have roles in the ensemble, including Paul Kiernan, Mark R. Gollaher, Max Robinson, Paul Mulder and Justin Ivie.

If you go

What: "Julius Caesar," Pioneer Theatre Company

Where: Simmons Pioneer Memorial Theatre, University of Utah

When: Wednesday through March 4

How much: $20-$39

Phone: 581-6961

Web site: www.pioneertheatre.org

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E-mail: ivan@desnews.com