"I'm eighty years old. I find that unforgivable. And suddenly it's the millenium and I stink of the past century, but what can I do?" - Rose

Lincoln Center Theater, under the direction of Andre Bishop (Artistic Director) and Bernard Gersten (Executive Producer) will present Rose, a new play by Martin Sherman, directed by Nancy Meckler on Broadway at the Lyceum Theatre (149 West 45th Street). Rose, which features Academy Award winning actress Olympia Dukakis in a tour-de-force performance in the title role, will begin previews Thursday, March 28 at 8pm. Opening night is Wednesday, April 12 at 6:45pm.

Rose had its world premiere at London's Royal National Theatre last August and was recently nominated for the West End's coveted Olivier Award for Best New Play.

Rose is a story of a survivor. From a bench on Miami Beach, Rose looks back on her life, which began in a tiny Russian village, took her to Warsaw's ghettos and a ship called "the Exodus" and, finally, to the boardwalks of Atlantic City, the Arizona canyons and salsa-flavored nights in Miami Beach. It creates a sharply drawn portrait of a feisty Jewish woman and a moving reminder of some of the events that shaped the century. Rose marks Olympia Dukakis' return to the New York stage in the role she created in the play's Royal National Theatre premiere in London. Best known to film and television audiences for her award winning performances in the film Moonstruck and the highly popular television series Tales of the City and Further Tales of the City. Miss Dukakis has worked as an actress, director, producer, teacher and activist during a career that has spanned more than 35 years. She has appeared in over 125 productions on Broadway, off-Broadway and in regional theatre.

Rose is Lincoln Center Theater's 81st production and will be performed Monday through Saturday evenings at 8pm, with matinees Saturday at 2pm. Tickets, priced from $30 to $60, are available at the Lyceum Theatre box office, or by calling Tele-Charge (212) 239-6200

Tidbits:

• Bebe Neuwrith, Chicago's Velma Kelly, is down to her final 3 performances. Vicki Lewis, fresh from the recently folded Vegas company, takes on the role for a few weeks. Come mid-April the new Velma Kelly in Chicago will be Sharon Lawrence. No stranger to Weissler produced musicals, Sharon was in the 1987 revival of Cabaret (one of the two ladies) and the 1990 revival of Fiddler on the Roof (Tzeitel). As much chiding as the Weissler's take you have to give them credit for their allegiance to actors and actresses who have worked for them. When Busker Alley folded on the road many castmembers were offered jobs in the many Chicago companies. Break a Leg, Sharon! Also, this week Charlotte D'Amboise steps into the role of that other killer diller, Roxie Hart.

• Playwright Michael Frayn and director Michael Blakemore will discuss their work on the new Broadway bound production of Copenhagen as the culmination of a free, day long series of events entitled Creating Copenhagen, which will examine the scientific, historical and theatrical perspectives of this acclaimed London play. During the day "Scientific Perspectives" and "Historical Perspectives" will be discussed and at 7:30pm "Theatrical Perspectives" with Frayn and Blakemore talking about the process of creating the play. The discussion will be followed by a brief question and answer period. Reservations for this event are required. Call 212-817-8215. Copenhagen is about a meeting between two brilliant physicists whose work together had opened the way to the atom, but who were now on opposite sides of World War II. The play previews this Thursday, the 23rd, at The Royale Theatre and opens April 11. Philip Bosco, Blair Brown and Michael Cumpsty star. Tele-Charge.

• Will Riverdance be eligible for a Tony Nomination for Best Musical was asked in a recent e-mail. I hadn't thought about it. The show was pretty much reviewed as a dance show so I could see arguments on both sides. I'll leave it to the Tony nominating committee. Riverdance just extended its run at the Gershwin Theatre through September 3rd.

• Tenderloin opens this Thursday at City Center Encores. Tickets still available but probably not for long. Call CityTix 212-581-1212.

• Final 3 weeks to catch the off-Broadway hit Hedwig and the Angry Inch down at the Jane Street Theatre. Tele-Charge.

• On Thursday Jesus Christ Superstar begins performances at the Ford Center. Previews also begin this Friday for Taller Than A Dwarf starring Matthew Broderick and Parker Posey at the Longacre Theatre. Tele-Charge.