STAGE STARS GATHER TO HONOR THEIR OWN IN THE BIG APPLE.

Byline: Robert Osborne Hollywood Reporter

Even with snow still splattering the streets in April, it's impossible to stay home in New York, no matter how much one tries.

The reason? There's too much going on: East Side, West Side, all around the town. For instance: Monday's salute to the 50th anniversary of the Tony Awards at the Rainbow Room in Rockefeller Center, during which a sextet of former Tony winners were honored (Glenn Close, Patricia Neal, Zoe Caldwell and Rosemary Harris were present; Carol Burnett and Julie Harris weren't).

It was a luncheon that brought out almost every Manhattanite you could name, including Beverly Sills, Barbara Cook, Christopher Plummer, Kitty Carlisle Hart, Hope Lange, Carol Channing, Edgar Lansbury, Kathryn Crosby, Sam Waterston, Ann Reinking, Donna McKechnie, Brian Murray, Lee Roy Reams, Anne Jackson and Eli Wallach, just for starters, all shoehorned among various producers, directors, choreographers and other denizens of the theater.

It was a celeb-watcher's dream, with the piece de resistance being Neal's presence. She had been, after all, a winner at the very first Tony Awards, way back on April 6, 1947 (in the Grand Ballroom of the Waldorf-Astoria, to be specific), named as best supporting actress for her performance in ``Another Part of the Forest.'' That play took her to Warner Bros. (and Gary Cooper) and altered her life forever.

Now, almost 50 years later, and having overcome some of the more horrendous obstacles life could have put in her path, Neal looked sensational, and quite indestructible, and gave the best laugh of the day when she told them, ``Although I've been given numerous awards for my courage, facing death is nothing compared to facing an opening night audience ...''

Same day, then repeated Tuesday afternoon, Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS held its Easter Bonnet Competition at the Palace Theatre for the 10th year, following six weeks in which almost every Broadway and off-Broadway show in town makes special pitches during their curtain calls, encouraging audience members to contribute money to the BC/EFA cause.

(This year, a total of $1,304,525 was raised during those six weeks; $170,000 of which was raised by this year's fund-raising champ, the ``Victor/Victoria'' company.)

The Palace gala always marks the grand finale, with various Broadway companies taking stage to honor-skewer-satirize their own show or someone else's, in addition to decorating an Easter bonnet.

This year's best bonnet was one from the ``Grease'' company; it contained a miniature revolving stage door, sending up the show's policy of guest stars coming and going.

The best sketch: the ``Sunset Boulevard'' company, including Betty Buckley, doing a ``sequel'' to ``Sunset,'' with Norma Desmond (Buckley) on trial, and discovering a la O.J. that homicide may be a way to guarantee a renewed Hollywood career, a factor then acted out in the sketch by, supposedly, Ann Miller, Julie Andrews, Shirley MacLaine, Sonny & Cher, the Osmonds and, finally, Tommy Tune, who instead of shooting someone else, shoots his own leg.

It was irreverent, funny, rude and saucy. It was also visited by such good sports as Andrews, Channing, Caldwell, Lynn Redgrave, John Davidson, Marsha Mason, Melba Moore, Tony Randall, Tony Roberts and a wealth of others.

CAPTION(S):

3 Photos

Photo: (1--3) In New York this week, Glenn Close, left,Zoe Caldwell and Patricia Neal were among the former winners honored as part of a salute to the 50th anniversary of the Tony Awards.

Cecil Yates/Daily News