THEATREGOER'S NOTEBOOK

When you've had a megadose of critical acclaim, as Faith Prince did five seasons ago for her Miss Adelaide in Guys and Dolls, how do you keep your equilibrium?

"Very gingerly," says Prince, now starring as Anna in the hit revival of The King and I. Recalling her string of awards and her appearance on the front page of the Times with co-star Nathan Lane, she reflects, "That was the kind of situation that happens once in a performer's life. It was a wacky time that led to a lot of growth."

After Guys and Dolls, Prince made two unsuccessful attempts at starring in TV sitcoms, and she and her musician husband, Larry Lunetta, had a son, Henry, who turns two this month. "I'm so happy to be back in New York," she confesses. "You know, it never entered my mind to play this part, but it's a joy every night. I couldn't be happier."

Ironically, Prince's re-turn to the East Coast also resulted in a recurring role as the press secretary's girlfriend in the N.Y.-based comedy series "Spin City." "A sitcom is the best middle ground between theatre and film because you have an audience," says Prince, "but nothing fulfills my soul like being onstage eight times a week." On days off, Prince and Lunetta head upstate with Henry to their cottage on Putnam Lake. "A bunch of us artists bought bungalows in this blue-collar community and started our own little colony," Prince says. "We love to cook and fish and go antiquing and have big parties. It's great to have that other world."

-- By Kathy Henderson