Several theatre folk are likely to be nominated for 1998 Academy Awards Feb. 10.

Oscar winner Geena Davis is scheduled to announce the nominees early Tuesday morning.

Theatre lovers will be watching to see if Best Score or Best Song nominations go to Alan Menken (Beauty and the Beast, Little Shop of Horrors) and David Zippel (City of Angels, The Goodbye Girl) for their score to Disney's Hercules.

Also in that category could be Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty (Ragtime), who wrote the score for the animated film Anastasia.

Paul Rudnick (Jeffrey, I Hate Hamlet) wrote the comedy In & Out, which featured a brace of theatre-based actors, including Kevin Kline, Ernie Sabella, Gregory Jbara, Lewis J. Stadlen and John Cunningham. Dame Judi Dench, who starred in the London A Little Night Music is eligible for (Her Majesty) Mrs. Brown.

Al Pacino could be up for Donnie Brasco, Ian Holm for The Sweet Hereafter.

Joan Allen and Sigourney Weaver could be nominated for Ice Storm; Kevin Spacey could be remembered for L.A. Confidential.

Fans of the Broadway musical Titanic will also be watching to see if the doomed liner will earn an Oscar to put beside its Best Musical Tony from 1997.

Winners of the 70 annual Oscars will be announced March 23 in a ceremony to be televised on ABC-TV.

-- By Robert Viagas