By Harry Haun
15 Nov 2006

McNally will spring two plays on us come spring—first Some Men in March Off-Broadway at Second Stage and then Deuce in May on Broadway at the Music Box with Angela Lansbury and Marian Seldes. Nobbs is, as we say in Texas, chomping at the bit to get back on stage, biding his time with a New York-based TV series, "The Black Donnellys," about black Irish working-class brothers who become involved in organized crime in the city. The show's creator, Paul Haggis, did the Oscar-winning "Crash." "It's a great thing for New York theatre actors," Nobbs pointed out, "because we have this revolving door where all these great people can come in and go out regularly."

Tune has his own little dog—named Little Shubert, after the luxurious, if sadly underused theatre he inaugurated. "He won't go walking if it rains," lamented the long-stemmed one. "There'll be little puddles when I get home." And there was an even larger puddle 20 blocks uptown on the East Side — the belated NYC arrival of Busker Alley by The Brothers Sherman, Richard M. and Robert B. This musical about street-corner musicians, based on the 1938 British film "St. Martin's Lane," was six weeks away from its Broadway debut in 1995 when Tune broken his foot during a performance in Tampa, and the show never came in — till Nov. 13 when Jim Dale headed a one-night-only benefit for York Theatre.

Except for the rain, Monday was a good night because most shows were dark and this meant White could be judged by a jury of her already-there peers. The Lady of the Lake (Marin Mazzie) sloshed over from Spamalot, with spouse Jason Danieley. Heartbreak House was shuttered for the evening; hence, Swoozie Kurtz. School was out for Butley (Nathan Lane) and his annoyingly overachieving colleague (Dana Ivey). "Julie's with my agency, and I've such admiration for her. I saw this Off-Broadway, and she's terrific."

Positioned at the entrance of the Cort were twin media goddesses, The Post's Cindy Adams and WOR Radio's Joan Hamburg. Pretty and poised, Cindy smiled a lot and spoke to almost no one — until Lisa Kudrow happened by. Then she pounced and talked and talked. I took the high road, figuring I'd catch Kudrow at the after-party and chatted up Hamburg, telling her that her son's movie ("Meet the Fockers" was co-written by John Hamburg and Jim Herzfeld) was identified as "the top-grossing comedy of all time" in a new documentary about, and titled, the F word. "I knew that it was," beamed the proud mother. "John's in town now, doing two movies and a TV show. The kid is very prolific."

Needless to add, Kudrow never showed at the after-party, but Cynthia Nixon dropped by after her show. "One more month of Jean Brodie — then Christmas," she said, refusing to plan beyond that. Other Tony winners: Jane Krakowski, Estelle Parsons, B.D. Wong.

Also attending: Christian Slater (show only), NBC's Caroline Rhea, Richard Kind, Zang Toi (a real runway entrance), Stephen Bogardus ("I'm going to do another season of White Christmas — in St. Paul"), hirsute-as-all-get-out Jason Harner Butler (readying to hit The Coast of Utopia at Lincoln Center Nov. 27) and record mogul Clive Davis.

Constantine Maroulis, living the dream of an "American Idol" — making good in New York theatre and looking great doing it on the arm of a beautiful blonde Cynthia Kirchner — said he was looking forward to his next theatrical move, a lateral one, from The Wedding Singer (closing New Years Eve at the Al Hirschfeld) to Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris (he starts rehearsing the day after Christmas and opens Jan. 9 at the Zipper). "Gordon [Greenberg, the director] and I did a show together a long time ago, one of my first professional breaks — Jesus Christ Superstar at the Helen Hayes up at Nyack — so it's come full circle to be with him again with such a great piece," he said.

The second most unexpected first-nighter was Ted Allen, the food and wine expert on "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy." It seems: "I had the extraordinarily good privilege of meeting Julie on the judge's panel at 'Iron Chef America.' Not only does she have great taste as an artist, she has great taste in cuisine — and she was kind enough to invite me."

The first most unexpected first-nighter was Mike Jones, who outed "Pastor Ted" Haggard and, 10 days ago, toppled the evangelist from the pulpit where he preached against gay marriage. Jones was in New York to be interviewed by Fox's Keith Adler.

Designated director Scott Ellis exited early, having a 5:30 call the next day for "30 Rock." (It was Alec Baldwin, pleased with Ellis' direction of him in Entertaining Mr. Sloane, who convinced the series' star and creator, Tina Fey, to helm a few episodes.)

Just under the surface of The Little Dog Laughed, you'll find The Big Doug Laughing. "This is, in essence, what happened to As Bees in Honey Drown," said Beane about his arrival play, which won the Outer Critics Circle Award and the Gassner Playwriting Award. "They wanted to make it straight. Universal promised me it would remain a gay relationship. Then they changed their mind, and I walked off the picture. I complained to Variety and The Advocate, and I was called by a lawyer and told that, if I didn't shut up, I would be sued. The picture is dead. And they did not pay the actual amount."

The Little Dog Laughed is Beane's last laugh on Hollywood, and it couldn't be sweeter.