Phantom Thoughts at Hammerstein Bash

Celeste Holm told backstage stories and re-created her rendition of “I Cain’t Say No” from “Oklahoma!,” 50 years after she played Ado Annie in the original cast. John Raitt, who created the role of Billy Bigelow in “Carousel” in his Broadway debut, performed his famous “Soliloquy” from that show.

But the Center Theatre Group benefit at the Mark Taper Forum on Monday, “A Hundred Million Miracles,” wasn’t just a showcase for the original casts of the musicals of Oscar Hammerstein II.

James Hammerstein spoke about his father, and afterward said that the new stage version of the Rodgers & Hammerstein “State Fair,” seen last fall in Long Beach, hasn’t been forgotten. Rewrites are probably in order, he said.

Michael Feinstein, who was 5 years old when Hammerstein died, was the emcee as well as a performer, and other young talent also paid tribute to Hammerstein. One act in particular raised thoughts of what might yet be: Davis Gaines and Dale Kristien, the stars of “The Phantom of the Opera” next door at the Ahmanson Theatre, performed the “If I Loved You”/”Two Little People” scene from “Carousel.”

Let’s see now: “Phantom” producer Cameron Mackintosh has the rights to “Carousel,” and wants to bring his London production to New York later this year. “Phantom” closes here on Aug. 29. How about an L.A. company of “Carousel” starring Gaines and Kristien?

No one in authority would say whether this scenario is in the works. But the marketing value of casting the current “Phantom” duo in a whole new production of a beloved classic could be substantial. Something to munch on. . . .

LA JOLLA “PROTECTED”: La Jolla Playhouse is on a list of 27 theaters that have “protected” status from Actors’ Equity as a result of negotiations between the union and the League of Resident Theatres. La Jolla is one of four Southern California members of LORT--the others (Mark Taper Forum, South Coast Repertory and the Old Globe Theatre) are not “protected.”

It’s hardly an honor.

“Protected” status grants concessions to theaters that face severe economic hardships. For La Jolla, managing director Terrence Dwyer said the chief value of the arrangement is greater flexibility in hiring some non-union actors.

La Jolla has actually been on the list since the previous Equity contract with LORT was temporarily extended in 1991. But recent negotiations on a new contract extended La Jolla’s “protected” status through Feb. 25, 1996, assuming the theater continues to provide annual proof of its financial straits.

P.R. WATCH: A recent press release heralded a new production of Ionesco’s “The Bold Soprano.” Alas, it was just a typo. We were hoping that someone had finally established the connection between being bald and being bold. . . . Then there was the invitation to “Nickel and Dime” that arrived with, yes, a nickel and a dime. It’s something to bear in mind as you read the reviews.