As they have been for many months now, producers of the Broadway-bound musical, Tom Sawyer, are interviewing potential directors. Their first choice, Don Scardino, had to beg off the project back in mid winter 1996-97 because of sitcom-directing commitments in Los Angeles.

An assistant producer in Elizabeth Williams' office told Playbill On-Line (Dec. 10) there was still no word on the show's plans and that the creators were "continuing to work on the show."

The Broadway production time frame has been changed several times, and was last announced tentatively for spring 1998. But as of Dec. 10 the producer's office had no official comment on dates.

Back in August, Alex Fraser, then-assistant producer in Elizabeth Williams' office, told Playbill On-Line the project was still "plugging along" and expressed the hope that further developments would occur by this October.

Tom Sawyer, a musical adaptation of Mark Twain's comic novel, has a book by Ken Ludwig (Moon Over Buffalo) and music and lyrics by Don Schlitz. Back in winter 1996-97, Samantha Holman (then of producer Williams' office), said an initial reading of Tom Sawyer (songs included) took place Nov. 26, 1996, featuring Polly Holliday (TV's "Alice") as the Widow Douglas, Christopher Invar (Les Miz) as Injun Joe, and Cass Morgan (Pump Boys & Dinettes) as Aunt Polly. Tom was played by Sean Kennedy, Huck by Hunter Foster, Becky Thatcher by Jolie Jenkins, and Judge Thatcher by Dennis Parlato. Scardino directed the reading.

-- By David Lefkowitz