Patty Duke, the one-time child star of film and television, will follow Andrea Martin into the role of Aunt Eller in the Broadway production of Oklahoma!. She will begin performances on Dec. 14.

Patty Duke won an Oscar for her performance as Helen Keller in the film "The Miracle Worker." Later, she starred in her own television sitcom, "The Patty Duke Show," in which she played identical cousins.

The casting follows hot on the heels of the drafting of Stephen Buntrock to be the next Curly, taking over for Patrick Wilson in the revival of the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic. Buntrock begins on Nov. 19.

Buntrock made his biggest impression on Broadway in a supporting role in the 2000 musical Jane Eyre. Other credits include Titanic and Les Misérables.

Staying put for the time being are Josefina Gabrielle as Laurey, Shuler Hensley as Jud Fry, Jessica Boevers as Ado Annie, Justin Bohon as Will Parker and Aasif Mandvi as Ali Hakim. *

It took a few years to get here, but on March 21, the praised 1998 Trevor Nunn-Susan Stroman Royal National Theatre production of Oklahoma! opened on Broadway, after previews from Feb. 23, at a renovated and streamlined Gershwin Theatre.

The Kennedy Center will host a U.S. touring production of Oklahoma!. The musical will enjoy a long stay at the center's Eisenhower Theatre, June 30-Sept. 6, 2003.

A spokesman for the Kennedy Center said the visit was part of a tour, but it not necessarily the first stop. The DC engagement is the first road booking of the Cameron Mackintosh-produced Oklahoma! to be announced.

No casting has been revealed. Trevor Nunn and Susan Stroman will repeat their duties as director and choreographer.