Normally I'm not a numbers person. Counting, ratios, pie charts, stat tracking and so forth are not what I consider a good time. They are tasks better handled by financial analysts and sports writers who actually have the capacity to think mathematically. In my world (i.e., The Arts), figures are bodies: posing, static, in motion, costumed, nude. And in the theatre, my personal stamping ground, they are actors.

Which brings me to Broadway's current season, in which audiences are privy to an intoxicating catalogue of theatrical thoroughbreds: performers whose stage and TV reputations are legendary. Even more impressive, when I ventured (reluctantly) into the realm of number crunching, I discovered that a staggering number of them have Tony Awards propped up on their mantelpieces and coffee tables.

And so, without further ado, I present to you what has to be one of the "Toniest" lists of celebrity performers to ever grace Broadway in a single season.*

CURRENT BROADWAY SHOWS & THEIR TONY-WINNING CAST MEMBERS:
- Cat On a Hot Tin Roof: James Earl Jones (2), Phylicia Rashad, and Anika Noni Rose (Total Tonys: 4).
- Curtains: David Hyde Pierce, Debra Monk (2), and Karen Ziemba (Total Tonys: 4).
- Hairspray: Michele Pawk (Total Tonys: 1).
- In the Heights: Priscilla Lopez (Total Tonys: 1).
- Is He Dead?: Norbert Leo Butz (Total Tonys: 1).
- Jersey Boys: Christian Hoff (Total Tonys: 1).
- November: Nathan Lane (Total Tonys: 2).
- Wicked: Carole Shelley (Total Tonys: 1).
- Young Frankenstein: Roger Bart, Sutton Foster, Shuler Hensley, and Andrea Martin (Total Tonys: 4).

*Grand total: 19 Tonys
And, while it would be impossible to tot up all the Tony nominations floating around the Broadway stratosphere, many of the actors listed above - along with some of their costars, like Megan Mullally (Young Frankenstein); Hank Azaria (The Farnsworth Invention); and S. Epatha Merkenson (Come Back, Little Sheba) - have, all told, raked in double-digit Emmy awards.

In addition, theatergoers looking for familiar celebrity faces from film and TV will not be disappointed thanks in part - oddly enough - to the writers' strike and its impact on L.A.'s pilot season, a case in point being Hairspray stars George Wendt of "Cheers" fame, who's playing super-sized mom Edna Turnblad, and Ashley Parker Angel ("Making The Band"), the show's hunky love interest, Link Larkin. Both have extended their Broadway contracts for several months (I urge you to take advantage!). Hairspray audiences can also count on couple more months of pop diva Darlene Love ("He's a Rebel," "Today I Met (The Boy I'm Gonna Marry)"), in the show-stopping role of Motormouth Maybelle.

Other notables worth catching while they're still in the Broadway limelight include Kate Burton, taking on all the adult female roles in Spring Awakening; Tony Roberts, playing a dual role in the hilarious camp musical Xanadu; Laurie Metcalf ("Roseanne") in November; David Morse ("St. Elsewhere") in The Seafarer; John Schneider (the original Bo on TV's "The Dukes of Hazard") as the latest Billy Flynn in Chicago; Kevin Anderson ("Sleeping with the Enemy") as Doc in Come Back, Little Sheba; and Oscar-nominated film actor Terrence Howard ("Hustle & Flow") who's making his Broadway debut as Brick in Cat On a Hot Tin Roof, directed by actress/director/choreographer, Debbie Allen.

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SYMPHONY SPACE

For those of you convinced that the heart of New York theatre beats only on Broadway, think again. Off- and Off-Off Broadway are thriving, fueled by talented actors and creative teams and nurtured by world-famous theatre companies. One of Manhattan's most striking artistic success stories is Symphony Space, a very special venue on the Upper West Side (Broadway @ 95th St., 212-864-1414), offering a myriad of creative disciplines, from music to classic film to dance to theatre.

Supporters of this remarkable performance site - which was literally saved from the wrecking ball by local artists and activists in 1978 - gathered this past January 13 to celebrate its 30th birthday with a "star-studded bash." Among the illustrious performers who took part were actors Lois Smith, Frances Sternhagen, Keir Dullea, Fritz Weaver, John Shea, Anne Meara, Jerry Stiller, Malachy McCort, Jane Curtin, Estelle Parsons, Kathleen Chalfant, Marian Seldes, Joanna Gleason, Phyllis Newman, Rene Auberjonois, Dana Ivey, B.D. Wong, David Strathairn and Tony Roberts, as well as musical performers Andrea Marcovicci, Eugenia Zuckerman, James Naughton, Theodore Bikel, Melissa Errico, Donna Murphy, and Liz Callaway. Other notables featured in this unique celebration included Sheldon Harnick, Stephen Lang, Roy Blount, Jr., Frank McCort and Mercedes Ellington.

For more information about Symphony Space and the amazing list of notables - and the names above are but a small number of the dedicated artists committed to its success - visit www.symphonyspace.org.

For more on theatre in New York City, check out "Behind the Scenes," City Guide's theatre blog, at cityguideny.com/blogs/bloggers.cfm