Daily News from New York, New York • 3

CHUNK OF METAL FROM TIME WARNER CENTER CLIPS HARLEM MAN 1 I J.i 'If -v i I fV (0 By ADAM USBERG and DAVE GOLDINER DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS A Harlem man cheated death yesterday when a 22-inch piece of metal blew off the troubled Time Warner Center, grazing his arm before crashing onto the sidewalk. Jake Clark, 60, was crossing the street around 5:30 p.m. when the hunk of metal tumbled off the 55-story building at Columbus Circle missing his head by inches. "Hey, it's pure luck," said Clark, an artist and musician. "I know what a piece of metal like that can do to a man." Clark was walking from the Sam Ash Music store on W.

48th St. to the Columbus Circle subway station when he felt something brush against him and heard a noise. Then he saw the hunk of metal. "It went bang, right there on the ground," he said. The married father of one was unhurt and thought about just going home.

But he decided he had to report the incident. "If anything else had happened to anyone else, I never, ever would have forgiven myself," he said. Firefighters closed off streets and ordered construction workers to tie down all unsecured debris after the incident. Winds whipped open windows in some of the building's unoccupied apartments hundreds of feet above Columbus Circle. Fire Chief Jim Hodgens of Battalion 9 said firefighters already have had to cope with several falling debris incidents and two fires at the building.

"I know this building quite well," Hodgens said. "We're going to be here a lot." It was not clear from where on the building the debris fell. Building management offi- ADAM USBERG DAILY NEWS Cop holds piece of debris that nearly killed a passerby. rials did not immediately return calls. Neighbors said they are wearying of problems at the building, where an upscale mall and supermarket stayed open throughout the drama.

"Weird things happen there," said Doug Fowler, 27, who lives nearby. A construction worker at the building was critically injured when a wooden board slammed into his head Sept. 1 1, 2002, and high winds later tore a sheet of plywood from the building. A spectacular blaze erupted last April and the opening of the snazzy Per Se restaurant was delayed by a kitchen fire in February. Despite the problems, Clark said his brush with death will not keep him away from the star-crossed skyscraper.

"Time Warner is a beautiful building; I like it a lot," said Clark, who is blind in the left eye. "I'll probably go when the wind is not blowing." ANDREW SAVUUCH DAILY NEWS Jake Clark describes his near-death experience after a 22-inch piece of metal debris flew off the Time Warner Center and grazed the Harlem man's arm at Columbus Circle yesterday. Suae, song deux for '(Producers' 2 By ERIN WALSH and TAMER ELGHOBASHY DAILY-NEWS WRITERS 1 1 fjrf yr" 1116 original Bialystock Bloom said SJP Vy bye-bye to Broadway yesterday. 5 Passover begins tonight i Tonight is the start of the eight days of Pass--' over, the celebration of the Exo-- dus of the Hebrew slaves out of Egypt to the Promised Land. At Seder tables the world over, Jews will retell the story of the passage out of bondage and commemorate it with special food and readings.

For Rabbi Shea Hecht, Passover this year will also serve as a reminder that the world remains enslaved by enemies of freedom. "In light of what's going on in Israel, as well as Iraq and Afghanistan, I think when Jews sit down for the Seder, it is going to be different," Hecht, a radio host and chairman of the National Committee for the Furtherance of Jewish Education, said. "But at Passover, we don't just commemorate the negatives," Hecht said. "We also celebrate transition from slavery to freedom, ahd-the miracle of the Passover story is a good frame of reference for today." The NYPD has beefed up security throughout the city, placing specially trained counterterror- ism squads at key locations in Jewish com muni- thought it could be," said Bill Lockie, 60, who snagged the last two tickets after waiting more than an hour on the cancellation line. From its debut in April 2001 until Lane and Broderick left in March 2002, the Mel Brooks show was a perpetual sellout despite record ticket prices.

Sales lagged before the two actors returned late last year as the highest-paid actors in Broadway history. Once again, seats were hard to come by for the show that won a record 12Jony Awards in June 2001, including Lane as Best Leading Actor in a Musical. Two other original cast members. Brad Oscar (Franz Liebkind) and Roger Bart (Carmen Ghia), take over the lead roles beginning tomorrow. But for those who can't get enough of the dynamic duo, Lane and Broderick are set to star in the film version of "The Producers," expected to hit the ig screen in 2005.

Lane (Max Bialystock) and Matthew Brod-erick (Leo Bloom) as the two triumphantly capped their return engagement to the St. James Theater in "The Producers." After a 20-minute standing ovation, Lane thanked everyone from fellow cast members to the orchestra to the stagehands and reminded the audience that the show will go on. "He was extremely gracious and humble," said Brandi Perrow, 27, of Washington Heights. "It wasn't about egos. It's about love of the stage." Theatergoers said they felt lucky to see the hit musical comedy's original actors in their final performances.

COREY SIPK1N DAILY NEWS Nathan Lane greets fans out to side St. James Theater yester- day in his "Producers farewell. iwas fantastic, and better thanJever.