On Sept. 4, Charlotte d'Amboise, Colleen Dunn and D.W. Moffett become the first replacement leads in the long-running Broadway musical hit. d'Amboise, the best known of the three, will take on Ziemba's role of a repressed Italian housewife, circa 1950's, who escapes her life through dance fantasies. Ziemba won a Tony for her performance. D'Amboise is becoming one of Broadway's most trusted replacement talents. She was last seen on Broadway as Roxie Hart in Chicago, a role created in the revival by Ann Reinking. Other Broadway credits include the revivals of Company and Damn Yankees, Jerome Robbins' Broadway (Tony nomination), Song & Dance and Cats. Moffet will play the suicidal advertising exec created by Gaines, who also won a Tony Award. He has acted on the New York stage in The Real Thing, the Steppenwolf Theatre production of Balm In Gilead, and The American Plan at Manhattan Theatre Club.

Dunn has perhaps the most difficult task. She must step into the charmed shoes and saffron frock of Yates, who made an indelible impression as the mysterious, elusive and silent Girl in the Yellow Dress, the object of Moffet's character's desire. Dunn was seen in the recent Broadway revival of Follies, the latest in a long string of Broadway musicals credits which include The Will Rogers Follies, Sunset Boulevard, Ain't Broadway Grand and Legs Diamond.

Contact transferred to the Vivian Beaumont Theatre on March 2 and opened on March 30. It won the 2000 Tony Award for Best Musical.