The change is due to a scheduling conflict with director Scott Ellis, who has been hired as a supervising producer and director for the Showtime series "Weeds" starring Mary-Louise Parker. Production is said to begin on the new season April 1. Mr. & Mrs. Fitch, originally slated for the spring, was moved to the summer when the upcoming production of Sherie Rene Scott's Everyday Rapture was announced for a Second Stage run (performances begin April 7).

Second Stage now expects to present the Beane play during the 2009-10 season. A replacement for the summer slot will be announced shortly.

Mr. & Mrs. Fitch, penned by Beane (The Little Dog Laughed, Xanadu), centers on two gossip columnists. "When the social circuit no longer provides any scandalous news, they find that great celebrity can appear out of thin air," according to a previous release. The new comedy promises "a scathing look at who is in, who is out and who may not even exist at all."

Second Stage currently presents Gina Gionfriddo's Becky Shaw (through March 15).

For more information on Second Stage, 307 West 43rd Street (off Eighth Avenue), call (212) 246-4422 or visit 2ST.com.