Spring Brings Area Arts Scene Into Bloom : Theater: Everything from a murder mystery to a play helping children deal with fear is scheduled. Comedies and dramas are also on the bill<i> . : </i>

By MICHAEL ARKUSH

March 1, 1991 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

Death always tormented Edgar Allan Poe and Mary Shelley--two literary pioneers who gave the world the dark side almost two centuries before Stephen King.

Poe wrote poetry, Shelley penned “Frankenstein.” They never met, but starting April 5 they will appear on stage in “Demons & Angels,” two separate one-act plays that, according to playwright Cynthia Lee, will probe the motivation of these two 19th-Century writers. “Poe invented the mystery genre,” Lee said, “and ‘Frankenstein’ is part of our mythological heritage now.”

The play, set to run through May 11 at the Group Repertory Theatre in North Hollywood, highlights a spring season on San Fernando Valley stages. Audiences will get their share of mysteries, comedies and dramas, and they will be able to choose between original works and the traditional favorites.

Lee will also direct “Demons & Angels.” She’s spent a year of research consumed by the lives of Poe and Shelley.

“I’ve always been interested in Gothic literature,” said Lee, 37, who wrote “Blavatsky,” about Madame Helena Blavatsky, a Russian woman who brought Eastern philosophies to the United States. The play appeared at the Group Repertory Theatre in 1986. “These dark stories tell us a lot about our consciousness.”

Among other Valley shows slated for this spring:

* “Night Must Fall,” a murder mystery based in early 20th-Century London, written by Emlyn Williams, directed by Tony Rizzoli. It will run March 8 through April 20 at the Actors Alley Repertory Theatre in North Hollywood.

* “Feast of Illusion,” at the same theater. Running from May 3 to June 15, it tells the story of a college professor who has his wife and mistress under analysis at the same time. Directed by Apollo Dukakis, written by John Wood.

* “Independence,” about three daughters and their domineering mother in Independence, Mo. One of the daughters leaves home. Directed by Jeff Seymour and written by Lee Blessing, the play runs from March 14 through May 26 at the Gnu Theatre in North Hollywood.

* “Sleuth,” a classic love triangle story of two men battling for a woman’s affections. Directed by Anthony Farone and written by Anthony Shaffer, it will run from April 19 through June 9.

* “Home Games,” billed as a romantic/serious comedy, asks the question: What are the responsibilities of adults to their aging parents? Directed by Maria O’Brien and written by Tom Ziegler, the play follows the plight of a woman forced to take care of her mentally disabled father. After meeting a lover, she must decide between him and her father. It opens April 5 at the Whitefire Theatre in Sherman Oaks and runs indefinitely.

* “Three Years Probation,” a Victor Borg drama about a gynecologist who, upon delivering his wife’s baby, smothers it when he discovers it has Down’s syndrome. The play, which will run from Thursday through May 19 at the Richard Basehart Playhouse in Woodland Hills, is directed by Stuart Lancaster.

* “Amorphous George,” about a young man who moves into an apartment and dramatically changes the lives of his six roommates. It will open in mid-May and run for about two months at the Victory Theatre in Burbank. Directed by Maria Gobetti and written by Glen Merzer.

* “Pooblies,” an original musical for children about being scared. Written and directed by Scott Guy, it tells the story of a young girl learning how to deal with her fears. It will run from April 6 through May 31 at the Encino Playhouse in Encino.

* “Democracy in America,” a humorous look at modern-day America through the words of 18th-Century French political theorist Alexis de Tocqueville. Pierre Epstein wrote the piece and will play de Tocqueville, the only character. It will run from March 18 through May 5 at the West End Playhouse in Van Nuys.

* “The Pawnbroker,” an adaptation of the popular movie that starred Rod Steiger. Directed by Greg Friedkin, the play will run from May 11 through Aug. 10, also at the West End Playhouse.

* “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow is Enuf,” a story about women’s courage, to be shown today, Saturday, Thursday and March 9 at the Coffeehouse Theatre at CalArts in Valencia. Written by Ntozake Shange, and directed by Fran Bennett and Irene Connors.

* “Picnic,” a story of romance in a Midwestern town. Written by William Inge and directed by Judy Goff, it will be presented March 28-30 and April 4-6 at the Ensemble Theatre at CalArts.

* “Women Behind Bars,” a comedy set in a 1950 women’s house of detention. The play will run April 4-6, and April 11-13 at the Modular Theatre at CalArts. It is written by Tom Eyen and directed by Robert Benedetti.