Daily News from New York, New York • 252

C3 'Seesaw Is Comedy and Musical By DOUGLAS WATT In "Seesaw," which opened at the Uris last night, an $1 Million Ford loans Aid 2 Center Troupes Jiy JAMES DAVIS Two interest-free loans, each of $500,000, have been given by the Ford Foundation to the financially ailing City Center of Music and Drama, it was announced yesterday. 'SEESAW Musical based on the William Gibson play "Two for the Seesaw," with book by Michael Bennett, music by Cy Coleman and lyrics by Dorothy Fields, produced by Joseph Kipness, Lawrence Kasha, James Neder-lander, George M. Steinbrenner and Lorin E. Price at the Uris Theater, March 18, 1973. The money is for the use oft the City Center Opera and the City Center Ballet companies exclusively.

City Center Chairman Richard M. Clurman said the loans will meet present commitments of the two principal constituents of City Center. He asked for financial support from the public for the City Cen intimate, bittersweet comedy seem to exist side by side, Michelle Lee and Jones, Flack a Combo fin Both shows have pTeat points in their favor, but they never truly become one two ends of a seesaw, if you like. and a big, brassy musical independent of one another. Ken Howard ness suit), is thoroughly engaging.

Now and then the play and musical join, particularly ia "We've Got It," a hospital-room song and dance (Gittel has an ulcer, you may recall) that Howard puts over with zing. But the eve- i ning tugs most strongly at us in those tiny apartment cutouts I (there are two now, his and hers) in which Gittel and Jerry ardently love and separate. With humor, too. When Jerry, for example, tells Gittel he made last year, the Bronx-born gir! exclaims: "My neighborhood didn't make $28,000 last year." The city is evoked mostly ishly in Robin Wagner's clever and attractive scenic design in which office towers, brownstones and panoramic strips are projected in black and white onto cloth panels that unroll from above. The city's principal representative here is an incredibly tall, gangling, personable fellow with large, clod-shod feet, named Jerry Ryan Ken Howard Gittel Mosca David Michele Lee Tommy Tune Sophie Cecelia Norfleet Giancarlo Esposito Judy McCauley LaMonte Peterson Cathy Brewer-Moore Julio Gonzales Nurse Sparkle Ethel Tommy Tune.

He is a tap dancer and stops the show leading a rhythmic, balloon-filled number set to the words of a statute Jerry is memorizing for a New York bar exam. The number has been beautifully staged and is enhanced by Ann Roth's festive costumes. The Spanish-American contingent is exuberantly led by Cecelia Norflett, Giancarlo Esposito and LaMone Peterson. In lyricist Dorothy Fields, who goes all the way back to "I Can't Give You Anything but Love," and composer Cy Coleman, who goes back to, well, "Witchcraft" and other hits, the Broadway the ater has one of the most skilled teams. "Seesaw" may not represent the pair in such lively form as "Sweet Chaity" did but they've supplied the evening with several attractive numbers, among them Welcome to Holiday Inn, "He's Good for Me" and "I'm Way Ahead." And, of course, the ofermentioned We ve Got It.

Michael Bennett is credited with book, direction and choreography (the latter with assis-ance from Grover Dale, Bob Avain and Tune, who evidently does his own thing) and his staging is characteristally mettlesome and inventive. Jules Fisher's lighting and Larry Fal-sets. Once again, though, I think Ion's orchestration are other as-we could have gotten by nicely with chest mikes. In "See saw," you get two shows for the price of one. Both are entertaining, but I would have settled for the one with Miss Lee and Howard and per haps a few songs.

There are such things as intimate musicals. ter programs, especially from those who regularly attend performances there. He said each customer costs the City Center from 50 to 75 more than the admission price. Earlier, the budget of the City Center-associated company, the Joffrey Ballet, was drastically cut by the Center. her.

Everything comes out clearer than Steuben glass. She sang the tunes that have been so successful for her on records, like "First Time Ever I Saw Your Face," her latest, "Killing Me Softly," plus also Leonard Cohen's haunting "Suzanne." With the clean sweep of the. Grammy awards behind her, Roberta is right now at the top of her form. It's such a joy to listen to her, it is a shame we don't get a chance too often. Pat O'Haire 'Thoughts' Tonight "Thoughts," a musical, will open tonight at the Theater Do) Lys.

The show was tried out off-off-Broadway recently. TONIGHT AT 7:30 "The dancingest show in town" is Broadway's Biggest hit! PHONE RES ACCEPTED ROYALE THEATRE 242 West 45tk Street. 245 5760 -See AB(rs for detail irectfoiry "A MUSICAL KNOCKOUT!" Probst. NBC GREASE The New Musical Comedy Hit! PHONE RESERVATIONS: 245-5740 TICKETS ALSO AT TICKETRON 644-4400 FOR GROUP SALES ONLY CALL: 354-1032 Evtis. 7:30.

Mats. Wed. Sat. at 3 ROYALE 242 W. 45 St.

245-5740 3 MATS WKLY: Wed. Sat. at 2, Sun. 3 "A TRIUMPH!" Douglas Watt, News JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR SEATS NOW FOR ALL PERFS. Mark Hellinger, 51 St.

W. of Bwy. 757-7050 7:30. Mats. Wed.

Sat. 2. Sun. 3 FOR CROUP SALES Call (212 354-1032 Low Price Previews beg. Tom'w, 7:30 $4, 5.

4. (Fri. Sat. Evg. $7, 4, 5) Seats Now EDDIE ALBERT NANETTE FABRAY in a new comedy N' HARD KEELl.NOS by SAM BOBRICK ft RON CLARK Directed ay ABE BURROWS OPENS SUN.

APRIL 1 FOR GROUP SALES ONLY CALL: 795-3074 MARTIN BECK Thea. 302 W. 45 St. 244-4343 BROADWAY'S BIGGEST HIT MUSICAL COMEDY "ONE OF THE BEST MUSICAL STAGINGS TO BE SEEN ON BROADWAY IN YEARS." Clive Barnes, N.Y. Times Pippin mail orders accepted $12, 10, 9, 7, 4.

S. Sat. $15, 12, 10, 8, 7, 4. Wed. $9, 8, 7, 4, 5, 4.

Sat. Mats $10, 9, 8, 7, 4, 5. IMPERIAL 249 W. 45 St. 245-2412 FOR GROUP SALES ONLY CALL 794-3074 MICHELE LEE KEN HOWARD SEESAW A New Musical URIS 51 St.

W. of Broadway 584-4510 TICKETS ALSO AT TICKETRON: 444-4400 Evgs. 7:30: Mats. Wed. Sat.

2 SIXTH HILARIOUS MONTH! 3 MATS. WKLY: Wed. Sat. at 2. Sun.

3 "FUN CLASS." Barnes, N.Y. Times 6 JERRY JANE ORBACH ALEXANDER RMS RIV VU Tues. at 7:30. Mats. Sat.

2. Sun. 3 LUNT-FONTANNE W. 44 St. 584-5555 TELEPHONE RESERVATIONS ACCEPTED 7:30.

Mats. Wed. Sat. 2. San.

3 BEST PLAY TONY AWARD "THE BEST THRILLER I HAVE EVER SEEN Clive Barnes, N.Y. Times PATRICK MACNEE JORDAN CHRISTOPHER I. IT The Hit Thriller MUSIC' BOX 237 W. 45 St. 244-4434 0M0 William Gibson's 1958 two- character play, "Two for the Seesaw," about a married lawyer from Nebraska, a Wasp, who enjoys a New York idyll in the flat of a Jewish girl hopeful of becoming a ballet dancer, has been opened up to let in the city air.

Today's city with its porno shows, muggings and, in one big production number El Barrio. The little love story remains the island, the city merely lapping at its shores. It's shores. It's that small island with its two castaways, so honestly and appealing observed by Gibson that we want more of. We feel this all the strongly since the girl, Gittle Mosca, and the lawyer, Jerry Ryan, are excellently played by Michelle Lee and Ken Howard.

Miss Lee is an enchanting gamin and Howard, who gives the not-unpleasant impression that Mayor Lindsay has found his true calling, (especially Howard is seen mostlv in a husi- 6 1 "6 JANE Quincy Jones' big band teamed up with Robert Flack's big voice for two concerts at the Felt Forum in the Madison Square Garden complex, and the result was something like mixing gin and vermouth strong, heady, quenching, but, at the same time, making one eager for more. Jones is an imaginative musician who composes, arranges and performs and does each with taste and intelligence. For this appearance, he put together a strong-sounding band which featured several soloists, including Hubert Laws on flute, Toots Thielman with harmonica, drummer Grady Tate, Ray Brown on bass and Roland Hanna, whose keyboard work was flawless. Jones seems to be into the big-band sound of a few years back and has arrangements were tempered to those sounds. But Jones has a highly original musical mind and very little he does is imitated.

His style is very much his own. Sound Is Pure and Clean The band had a forceful brass and horn section, so there was no need to depend on electronic amplification. For the sound in the forum was clean and pure. Roberta Flack was the icing on the cake. She has such a lovely pure voice, that it hardly matters what words she is singing sometimes, like Ella Fitzgerald, she doesn't sing words at all, just riffs.

Yet lyric writers would do well to entrust their songs to Theater 12 TONY AWARD NOMINATIONS "DELIGHTFULLY STYLISH AND ORIGINAL AND REALLY A PLEASURE TO BG A PART OF A BALL!" Raidy. Newhouse Newspapers NOW ASK ANYONE WHO'S SEEN IT A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC a new -musical starring GLYNIS LEN HERMIONE JOHNS CARIOU GINGOLD FOR GROUP SALES CALL: 796-3074 SHUBERT THE 225 W. 44 St. 244-5990 Evss. 7:30.

Mats. Wed. Sal. 2 PREVIEWS TOM-W I P.M. THRU All Seals S3.

90. Fri. Sat. Evss. SUN.

$4.90 CHOES -4 A Wir Play bu N. RICHARD NASH Directed by MELVIN BERNHARDT OPENS MON. EVG. MAR. 24 BIJOU Theatre.

209 W. 45 St. 757-8455 iies -Sat. 8 PM. Mats.

Wed. Sat. Sun. 2:30 SEATS NOW AT BOX OFFICE Prev'ws Mon.Ev.Mar.26 A Tues. Ev Mar.

27 Opens PM. Someseatsacail. x- i i i Ein PIRANDELLO'S MPEP.OE HENRY IV 1 vii tt EILEEN HERLIE FOR GROUP SALES ONLY CALL 541 9595 Ethel Barrymore Th 237 W. 47 St. 244-0390 'A FUNNY PLAY." Sanders, ABC-TV JEAN KERR'S best comedy yet FBAKBA KA KOBEKT BEL.

GEDDES LANSING INISHTNG TOUCHES PLYMOUTH 23S W. 45 St. 244-9154 Now Mats. Wed. Sat.

at 2 TICKETS SOLD AT TICKETRON: 444-4400 4 TONY AWARD NOMINATIONS 1973 "A LIVELY AND ENTERTAINING SHOW" Ricnard Watts, DEBBIE REINUUL in RENE A Musical Comedy Also Starring MONTE GEORGE S. RUTH MARKHAM IRVING WARRICK and PATSY KELLY Mail Order filled: Mm. thru Sat. Orch. $15; Men.

$12; Bale. $10, Wed. mats. orcn. Men.

Bale. $, 5, 4- sat. Mats. Orch. ill; Men.

Bale. $7, S. MH5ROM" Til. -49 5r. W.

BWV M-e JERRY ORBACH and the company of RMS RIV VU" Congratulate ALEXANDER on her nomination fora TONY AWARD as BEST ACTRESS RMS RIV VU" LUNT-FONTANNE THEATRE 205 West 46th Street. 586-5555.