You know that winter vacation fun abroad is over when you start seeing the Gstaad skiers and formerly St. Barth's bound lovelies tanned faces back on our village streets. One can just sip so many Mojitos and hot toddies, I guess. Clearly, everyone got a good rest for my phone has been buzzing with news of openings, galas, hot dance parties, premieres, and big projects in the works.

Quogue resident Arthur Laurents is positively thrilled to be directing the upcoming revival of his Broadway classic "Gypsy" with the inimitable Patti Lupone as Mama Rose. Almost 50 years ago Arthur wrote the book, and Jules Styne paired with Stephen Sondheim on the tunes for the musical. But Arthur, who has made plenty in royalties from the many revivals, has never been totally happy about previous directors' choices so this time he'll just do it himself! Clearly quite a few folks agree as Arthur had no problems capitalizing the show.

A number of the Hamptons most savvy producers were quick to pull out their checkbooks in what they believe to be a sure winner – especially with Arthur at the helm. East Enders Roy Furman, Ted Hartley, Scott Rudin, and Marc Routh are among the producing team.

Janice Becker and Fe Fendi. Photo by PatrickMcMullan.com

Southamptonites Witold and Teresa Sulimirski are shaking out their white tie and tails, dusting off the tiara – well Teresa is – in preparation for the upcoming Bal Polonaise, the last of the grand European balls that were once such a major part of the social season. Most appropriately, the ball will be the first white tie gala to be held in the sumptuously restored Plaza Hotel Grand Ballroom. It is just as fabulous as it was in the days when the late Princess Grace of Monaco would lead the glittering assemblage of royals in the Gavotte.

Toasting the guests of honor, Bogdan Chmielewski and Professor and Mrs. Zbigniew Brzezinski, are such as Sir Robert Campbell, Countess Nicholas Bobrinskoy, Lady Barbara Fox Bordiga, Countess Jadwiga Krasicki, Lady Blanka Rosenthal, Sir Cesare Santeramo, Eva Rubinstein (daughter of the late pianist Arthur Rubinstein), Dr. and Mrs. Andrew Boral, and so many other royals it makes me dizzy.

The invitation specifies white and tails and Decorations for the gentlemen and ball gowns for the ladies. It's time to call the king of making grand entrance gowns, and my new Fashion Week friend, Oscar de la Renta, for a fabulous frock. Oh, and I'd better ring over to Cartier for a tiara. So many things on my list already and so little time as usual. Besides the Gavotte, the Polonaise, and all the other elegant court dances on the ballroom floor, there'll be a disco in the Plaza Conservatory for the younger crowd who haven't learned to bow properly.

Prepping for a different kind of dance party is danceophile Janice Becker of Southampton who, with her good friends Fe Fendi, Ginny Knott, and Beth Dannhauser, is chairing the White Heat Party set for Mar. 4 at Cipriani 23rd Street to benefit both Career Transition for Dancers and The Harbor Conservatory for the Performing Arts, a division of Boys & Girls Harbor. Both causes are so near and dear to her heart.

As this is going to be one very hot evening of Latin music and dancing, Janice has pulled in some dance world heavies for her Honorary Committee, including Peter Martins, Alvin Ailey's Sylvia Waters, Tony winners Bebe Neuwirth and Chita Rivera, and the original Fly Girl, Rosie Perez. Rolex and Capezio are sponsoring so it will definitely be over the top. You know I'm pulling out my sexiest party dress for this fete so I can move like the sensuous senorita I am in my dreams. You wait!

Had enough dance yet – hold on, the best is yet to come. One of the theater season's most lovely events, The Fred and Adele Astaire Awards, is coming back after a hiatus of three years to the extreme pleasure of all of us who really get off on those Broadway dancers. Southampton producer Patricia Watt has teamed up once again with Jennifer Dumas, Executive Producer of The Auditory School of New York, to bring back the annual awards recognizing excellence in performance and chorography.

This year they have expanded the candidates to include film – and why not. Even though Fred and his sister starred in ten Broadway blockbusters, it was the movies that put him on the map around the world earning him a permanent place on the lists of most loved movie stars. "Hairspray" and "Enchanted," we hear, are among the contenders. (Perhaps John Travolta himself will show up to whip those sexy hips of his across the boards, stranger things have happened. A girl can only hope!).

Always one of the most glamorous and eagerly anticipated events on the theatrical calendar, the Awards have paid homage to the brightest lights in the world of dance. Previous winners of awards for dance performance include Debbie Allen, Hinton Battle, Charlotte D'Amboise, Savion Glover, Gregory Hines, Natalia Makarova, Donna McKechnie, Ann Miller, Bebe Neuwirth, Ann Reinking, and Chita Rivera. Previous winners of awards for choreography are such legends as George Balanchine, Michael Bennett, Patricia Birch, Wayne Cilento, Graciela Daniele, the legendary Bob Fosse, Peter Martins, Ann Reinking, Jerome Robbins, Susan Stroman, and two time winner the effervescent Tommy Tune.

Award winners will be announced in May. The award ceremony will take place on June 2, 2008 at a posh location to be determined. Proceeds from the evening will benefit The Auditory Oral School of New York, a non-profit organization which specializes in teaching deaf and hard of hearing children to listen, talk, and socialize.

Switching from theater to the art of the written word, Kurt Vonnegut may be gone but he left behind a final book that's sure to raise a ruckus, and he'd be thrilled. In "Armageddon in Retrospect," out this April, the former Army man gives a jolting account of the relentless bombing of Dresden during World War II, and how U.S. forces passed out pamphlets to survivors justifying it as the "unintentional, unavoidable fortunes of war." In his book, he writes "The leaflet should have read: We hit every blessed church, hospital, school, museum, theater, your university, the zoo and every apartment building in town, but we honestly weren't trying hard to do it - so sorry. Saturation bombing is all the rage these days." Wit like that is hard to come by, miss you Kurt!

Now that he's sold off his sprawling Montauk estate, "Eothen," to J. Crew chief Mickey Drexler, director Paul Morrissey, Andy Warhol's partner has pulled the last survivors of Andy Warhol's Factory for Morrissey's first fiction film in almost 20 years. The untitled movie had its genesis when publicist Kelly Cutrone, who was married to Warhol's late assistant Ronnie Cutrone, discovered a male model in Mexico. Morrissey, after meeting the model through photographer and neighbor Bruce Weber, cast him as the reincarnation of Jesus. The film also stars Warhol regulars Geraldine Smith and Viva.

Joining Drexler way out east is polo-playing mogul Adam Lindemann, who found a new oceanfront Hamptons hideaway in Montauk for $21.5 million. Who knew Montauk was all the rage in real estate these days? Lindemann, who's also an art collector, bought the sprawling five-bedroom, seven and a half bath home on sex acres with 500 feet of beachfront on Old Montauk Highway. Situated on a bluff, the traditional home includes a chef's kitchen, den, library, stone fireplaces, media room, home theater, wine cellar, and staff rooms. There is also a separate guesthouse and a 55-foot-long Gunite pool. Book me for the first weekend in July for an extended visit!

Bridgehampton is the place that the award winning Broadway brother and sister duo of Kathleen Marshall and Rob Marshall come to visit their folks, but word to the Marshall family - don't expect Kathleen for any long weekends soon. The Tony award winner has paired up with Harry Connick again to see if they can recreate the heat they sparked with the revival of "The Pajama Game" last year. For those who don't remember, he brought down the house with such classics as "Hey, There," "There Once Was a Man," and, accompanying himself on the piano, "Hernando's Hideaway." Having his shirt off for a few numbers didn't hurt either.

Kathleen is hoping lightening will hit twice with "They All Laughed" which first opened at Goodspeed Opera in 2001. The critics gave it polite enough reviews, but there was plenty of backstage trouble. The director pulled out one week before opening night, and the show quickly became just another poster in Goodspeed's foyer. The convoluted plot involves Prohibition, a Temperance Society, bootlegging, speakeasies, a playboy, an heiress, and some lovable gangsters. But it was the songs, pulled from the golden Gershwin trunk and inserted into the story line, that carried the evening: "I've Got a Crush on You," "He Loves and She Loves," "Blah, Blah, Blah," "Do, Do, Do," and "S'Wonderful," among them.

As silly as the plot of "They All Laughed" might be, I suspect that plenty of theatergoers will line up to hear Connick sing those songs – and maybe take his shirt off. Yum!