Hello, diva lovers. . . I'm off to Washington this weekend to catch Bernadette Peters in Annie Get Your Gun and then interview her for an upcoming article for Playbill. I didn't want to leave you without any diva news, so here are a few items. Enjoy! More about BP next week. . .

BETTY BUCKLEY
Tickets to The Eros Trilogy, Nicky Silver's newest comedy in which Betty Buckley stars, are now on sale by calling the Vineyard box office at 212-353-3874. Trilogy will begin previews at the Vineyard Theatre (108 E. 15th Street) Thursday, Jan. 21 prior to an official opening on Thursday, Feb. 4, 1999. The play will run through Feb. 27, and the performance schedule is Monday through Friday at 8 PM and Saturdays at 3 and 8 PM. There will be an added matinee on Feb. 3 and 17 at 3 PM, but there will be no performances on Feb. 5, 6, 18, 19 and 20.

Also, Simply Irresistible, which had the working title Vanilla Fog, hits movie theatres the week of Feb. 14. Buckley co-stars with Sarah Michelle Gellar of "Buffy, the Vampire Slayer" fame.

Buckley can also be heard on the all-star concept recording of The Civil War, which comes to Broadway this spring. BB sings a tune entitled "Five Boys," and she sounds glorious, bringing her usual passion to this Frank Wildhorn tune. Other Broadwayites to be found on "The Complete Work" of this musical include Michel Bell, Linda Eder and Cheryl Freeman. Look for the double-CD now in stores. BERNADETTE PETERS
Although there are likely to be changes to the show before it officially opens on Broadway, what follows is the song list from the production of Annie Get Your Gun starring Bernadette Peters and Tom Wopat, currently playing at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts:

ACT I:
"There's No Business Like Show Business" - Frank and Company
"I'm a Bad, Bad Man" - Frank and Dolly
"Doin' What Comes Natur'lly" - Annie and Kids
"The Girl That I Marry" - Frank
"The Girl That He Marries" (reprise) - Annie
"You Can't Get A Man With a Gun" -Annie;
"Military Drill" -Young Men and Women
"There's No Business Like Show Business" (reprise) - Frank, Buffalo Bill, Charlie and Annie
"Hoop Dance" - Mrs. Summer Cloud
"I'll Share It All With You" - Tommy and Winnie
"Moonshine Lullaby" - Annie, Kids and Young Men
"There's No Business Like Show Business" (reprise) - Annie
"They Say It's Wonderful" - Annie and Frank
"My Defenses Are Down" - Frank and Young Men
"The Trick" - Annie and Company
"You Can't Get A Man With a Gun" (reprise) - Annie

ACT II
"The European Tour (A Pantomime)" - Annie and Company
"Lost in His Arms" - Annie
"Who Do You Love?" - Winnie and Tommy
"I Got the Sun in the Morning" - Annie and Company
"An Old Fashioned Wedding" - Annie and Frank
"The Girl That I Marry" (reprise) - Frank
"Anything You Can Do" - Annie and Frank
"They'll Say It's Wonderful" (reprise) - Annie, Frank and Company
"Finale" - Company

Don't forget to check out the February issue of Vanity Fair, which contains a brief interview with Peters (BP: "Essentially [Annie Get Your Gun is a love story about a woman who's better than the guy she loves at the thing they're both good at") as well as a striking new color photograph by Michael O'Neill.

LILIANE MONTEVECCHI
The Tony-winning star of Maury Yeston's Nine is currently on the road in the stage version of The Wizard of Oz, playing the Wicked Witch of the West opposite Mickey Rooney's Wizard. Montevecchi was interviewed by writer Patrick Pacheco for an upcoming article in the subscription issue of Playbill Magazine, and I thought you would be interested to read some of her remarks:

about her take on the infamous character:
"I'm trying to have some fun with her, give some humor to this evil creature. And I'm trying to make her sexier than she has been. This is another approach for the witch, eh? As a femme fatale?

about her two previous tours: in 1961's "La Plume De Ma Tante" and a few years back in Grand Hotel:
"We were a French company, so young and so excited about discovering America, we drank and ate a lot. . .Grand Hotel was more serious, but I love to travel, to explore. I love Washington, I love Tampa, because it's warm, but I'm not looking forward to freezing my butt in Minneapolis. So why not travel and get paid for it?"

about the original film of Wizard of Oz
"My head was never for that kind of thing. When I was a kid, it was ballet, ballet, ballet. If I saw any movies at all, it was American gangster movies, cheating, stealing, shooting. I loved that stuff. I'm more of a kid now. That's why I love this show. It's so cute, so charming! And all that flying. That's too, too divine. I stand in the wings and watch it all. I'm like a kid again."

NOTHING LIKE A DAME
The fourth annual "Nothing Like a Dame" concert to benefit the Phyllis Newman Women's Health Initiative of The Actors' Fund of America will be held on Monday, March 1 at 7 PM at the Shubert Theatre (225 West 44th Street). The remarkable one-night-only event usually presents an embarrassment of riches for diva lovers. Past participants have included Julie Andrews, Lucie Arnaz, Lauren Bacall, Betty Buckley, Carol Burnett, Carol Channing, Glenn Close, Randy Graff, Judy Kuhn, Bebe Neuwirth, Ann Reinking, Rita Moreno, Elaine Stritch and the late Laurie Beechman. Stay tuned for this year's starry list of entertainers. For tickets, call the DAME LINE at 1-888-DAME-TIX (1-888 326-3849).

IN OTHER NEWS If you're looking for a good movie, check out Little Voice, based on the hit West End play, The Rise and Fall of Little Voice, and starring Jane Horrocks, who originated the role in London and also went on to star as Sally Bowles in the Donmar Warehouse production of Cabaret. Although The Rise and Fall of Little Voice failed to make much of an impression during its brief run on Broadway, the film version works wonderfully. With stellar performances from Brenda Blethyn as LV's mother, Michael Caine as the floundering agent Ray and Ewan McGreggor as the pigeon-loving Billy, Little Voice has charm to spare. And, Horrocks' vocal impersonations of Judy Garland, Marilyn Monroe and Shirley Bassey are dead-on. For anyone who's a fan of these great ladies, Little Voice is a must see: It will warm your heart . . . Kristen Chenoweth, who will star as Sally in the upcoming production of You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown, recently explained to Playbill writer Harry Haun how she gets into character: "My niece is four -- the same age as Sally," says Chenoweth, "and all I have to do is call her on the phone, talk to her a while, and my character clicks in. I just love those little odd things kids say that they think makes sense." . . . Following her great success with her solo CD "I Wish It So," is Metropolitan Opera star Dawn Upshaw's new recording, "Dawn Upshaw Sings Vernon Duke." The CD, which will be released on Nonesuch Records Jan. 19, 1999 includes such Duke classics as "Autumn in New York," "April in Paris" and "I Like the Likes of You." Upshaw has also unearthed some little-heard gems like "Round About" and "Born Too Late." Upshaw will celebrate the new release with two concerts at Joe's Pub at the Public Theater Jan. 21 and 22 . . . The "pop diva" is saluted in the Jan. 18 issue of People Magazine. The cover features photos of Whitney, Celine, Maria, Shania, Jewel and Madonna . . . It's your last chance to catch the wonderfully comic performances offered by Mary Testa and Lea DeLaria in the revival of On the Town at the Gershwin Theatre. The George Wolfe-directed revival will close this Sunday, January 17.

REMINDERS:

BETTY BUCKLEY
BB concert line-up:
Jan. 16, 1999 at the Grand Opera House in Wilmington, DE
Feb. 6 at the Bob Hope Cultural Center in Palm Desert, CA
April 17 at the Lehman Center for the Perf. Arts in Bronx, NY
April 23 at the College of New Jersey in Erwing, NJ
May 3, 1999 at the Orchestra Hall, Symphony Center in Chicago, Ill.
Buckley will also be honored with a "Life in the Theatre" Award by T. Schreiber Studios on Monday, Jan. 25 at the Players Club (16 Gramercy Park South). Buckley will not perform that evening as originally announced; instead, video footage from the upcoming BB documentary will be presented. Producer Roger Berlind will also be honored, and Edward Norton will serve as the evening's chairperson. Call (212) 741-0209 for tickets ($250)

Diva Talk is dedicated to the memory of Matthew Shepard, 1976- 1998.