The superstitious scribe reluctantly confirmed the currently untitled work to Playbill On-Line. "I don't want to jinx it," said Shinn, who admitted the musical is still in the early stages. Shinn did reveal the new tuner centers on a young composer who completes the unfinished musical of a late legendary Broadway songwriter.

Next on the boards for Shinn is the Vineyard staging of Where Do We Live described by the playwright as "a play about two young men who live in the same apartment building and their lives intersect." The work premiered in London in May, 2002, and makes its American stage debut Off-Broadway later in the 2003-04 season.

The three-act play, which features a cast of nine actors and 17 characters, "offers a very panoramic view of New York City," said Shinn. "It's probably my most ambitious play."

The author's inspiration for the new work? "Really, it was [when] Sept. 11 [2001] happened, I owed The Royal Court a play, I had no money and I thought now is not the time to be broke," Shinn admitted. "It was written in a panic about being broke, starting on Sept. 12."

For information about the Vineyard's upcoming season, call the box office at (212) 353-0303 or visit www.vineyardtheatre.org.