Ezio Petersen, a longtime member of the circle of New York theatre journalists, died Jan. 25. He was one of the small number of African-American reporters whose career was devoted to the stage.

The Broadway musical adaptation of Cole Porter's 1956 film High Society continues to polish and tighten during previews, which began Mar. 31. Matinee performances for Apr. 18 and Apr. 22 have been cancelled so that the Des McAnuff and Wayne Cilento, brought in to help Christopher Renshaw and Lar Lubovitch, can work on new material. Spokesperson Susanne Tighe (of Boneau/Bryan-Brown) wouldn't comment on what material was being worked on but did say the show was on target for its Apr. 27 opening.

THE TONYS!
Well, they’re finally here! This Sunday, June 3, the 2001 Tony Awards will be handed out at Radio City Music Hall to some of Broadway’s finest performers and shows. I thought it would be a good time to look back at last season’s winners in the Best Featured Actress and Best Leading Actress in a Musical categories. What follows are the acceptance speeches from last year’s winners, Karen Ziemba and Heather Headley.

THE TONYS!
Well, they’re finally here! This Sunday, June 3, the 2001 Tony Awards will be handed out at Radio City Music Hall to some of Broadway’s finest performers and shows. I thought it would be a good time to look back at last season’s winners in the Best Featured Actress and Best Leading Actress in a Musical categories. What follows are the acceptance speeches from last year’s winners, Karen Ziemba and Heather Headley.

J. Smith Cameron, the original Alexa Vere de Vere in the Off-Broadway hit As Bees in Honey Drown, will return to the New York stage this fall in Shelagh Stephenson's The Memory of Water at Manhattan Theatre Club's Second Stage. The production is set to begin performances Oct. 13, according to a Boneau/Bryan-Brown spokesperson (Aug. 31).

Get ready to hear some "Manhattan Music" at Manhattan Theatre Club. A trio of cabaret performances, each running three weeks, takes the second stage of Off-Broadway's prestigious MTC, May 19-July 19.

Perhaps Off-Broadway's most-recognized and celebrated theatre company, Manhattan Theatre Club, will hold its annual spring gala May 11. Cherry Jones and James Naughton will host, while cast-members of Broadway's The Lion King, Ragtime, Side Show and Forever Tango will perform numbers from those shows.

Two of the five plays under consideration for the Manhattan Theatre Club's 1998-99 season won't come as news to most MTC watchers. On the docket are Terrence McNally's long-long-awaited Corpus Christi, postponed for two consecutive seasons, and the new musical Captains Courageous, which had been on tap for `97-`98 until a decision was made to hold off and replace it with A.R. Gurney's (upcoming) Labor Day.