Newsday (Suffolk Edition) from Melville, New York • 68

Newedaz Photoa by Joe DombraM Nederlander and sketches of office-building theater: First of a new breed Skyscraper theater: Broadway looks By Allan Wallach Newiday National Entertainment Editor The moat intriguing theatrical poster along Shubert Alley these days is in the form of a program for a future Broadway show being readied for Broadway" it reads York's first new legitimate theatre in 30 yearn The 1638-seat One As tor Plaza Theatre" The sign goes on to list the "producer" Sam Minskoff ft Sons a budding firm and a of Although it is overshadowed by the glamorous names on the neighboring posters it is vastly more significant Not only does it herald the first new Broadway theater in three decades but the first of a new breed of situated in modem office buildings which can alter the economic and playgoing patterns of Broadway These theaters have Broadway looking up literally housed as they are in buildings that tower 60 and more stories above the older bouses Not only will the new auditoriums incorporate the latest in automated equipment but perhaps more signify cantly they represent an expensive vote of confidence in Broadway The city mads theaters in new buildings feasible several years ago by revising the building code to give builders a bonus of additional renting space if they included theaters in the structures About a half-dozen such theaters were proposed at toe time but evidently some builders are waiting to see how the initial ventures make out The first of these toe Astor Plaza is expected to be ready later this year while the second is scheduled for toe end of too year or toe beginning of 1972 One Astor Plaza on toe site of the old Astor Hotel an Times Square will house a' 1500-eeat moviehouse in addition to toe legitimate theater Further north on toe site of toe old Capitol Theater between 50th and 51rt Streets on Broadway a 54-story office building is being erected by toe Uris Buildings Corp that will have both an 1800-seat theater suitable tor musicals and a 650- seat theater that is being leased to off -Broad way Cirde-in-the-Square producers Theatergoers will be able to dine at restaurants in both office buildings James Nederlander a producer and theater owner who operates 17 theaters in five UJ3 cities is lemang toe larger auditorium in toe Uris building He sat in his office six floors above toe Palace Theater which he owns and which houses the hit musical "Applause" which he eo-produoed and listened to a visitor express surprise at toe confidence in toe theater implicit in this resumption of building all a question of Nederlander observed you have something that toe public is interested in they will come If they're not interested in it you give it away Ever sines been in toe theater business I've heard one thing that the theater is dying Thirty years later still operating There are still 30 theaters on Broadway Conditions aren't good but conditions good in other businesses too In my opinion -always be a commercial theater as long as there are enough knowledgeable people to produce plays who know what they're Clearly Nederlander indudes himself In toe knowledgeable category and he anticipating trouble in filling toe 1300-seat Uris Theater as it will be named The one-balcony theater will have a white and gold art nou star State Supreme Court Justice Irving Saypol heard arguments in toe case yesterday in Supreme Court He said he may request a private screening of toe film before making a decision Miss May who hired a press agent to publicize her dispute with the film company that the film has been re-directed and rewritten in the editing proem so that the film is not In her suit toe also seeks to prevent further editing or pre-release publicity "Among other she aaidin a prepared statement "I made a film about a man who commits two murders and gets away with it In this new version the murder has been Mias May suggested in the statement that Paramout give "whatever credit or blame is due the film to its present author and director Robert Evans is vice president in charge of production Named in the suit are Elkins Production International a corporation headed by producer Hillard Elkins and Aries ho a corporation headed by Howard Kadi New which had been Miss May's first effort as a film director was filmed at a Glen Cove estate during the summer of 1969 Its star Matthau portrays an eccentric fortune hunter who preys on a wealthy botanist portrayed by Miss May The film was scheduled to be the Easter attraction at Radio City Music HalL Martin Garbus attorney for Miss May argued in court that Paramount had "taken out the murder scenes and made a love story out of and had violated Miss rights as director and writer Stephen Dugan the attorney representing Paramount argued that toe contractual arrangement with Mias May were and that the movie company was prepared to absorb any damages if Miss May can prove that her reputation is damaged by the film II veau deoor But toe aspect that most excites Nederlander is toe technology "You press a button and the scenery will move up down Nederlander said of toe automated backstage device known as toe Hydro float Stage System Variety the trade weekly says that toe system utilizing fluid oil hydraulics will make toe Uris the first totally automated commercial theater in toe nation Nederlander derides present-day backstage procedure with stagehands doing much of toe work as "toe Dark Ages of toe Others have contended that toe most important criticism of Broadway is in toe economic rather than technological realm They have pointed out that Broadway houses are no longer economically feasible since they are in use for only eight performances a week earning nothing toe rest of toe time Land values in midtown are too high to permit this to continue these economic critics say Somewhat similar considerations played a part in the revised plans approved this week for the Vivian Beaumont Theater in Lincoln Center The Beaumont too has a high overhead and lies idle much of the time It also has a great deal of unused spaoe The plans call for the City Center to take over the Beaumont Theater and remodel it at a cost of more than $3000000 adding three movie theaters a screening room quartets for the American branch of the Cinematheque Fran-cais a film museum a restaurant and a snack bar This multipurpose usage of the building designed by the late Eero Saarinen would leave tiie main 1100-seat auditorium as it is while the smaller Forum would be moved to street level The Repertory Theater of Lincoln Center would continue to use both auditoriums But the building would be in use constantly with the movie theaters operating all day seven days a week Construction which will start in the spring provided sufficient funds are raised will leave the outer shell of the building unchanged II Da Camera at Tully Hall Long Orchestra Da Camera will perform three concerts during the next two weeks two at no charge on Long Island and one at Alice Tully Hall in Lincoln Center The programs offer "Gloria" featuring Jacqueline Pierce of the Metropolitan Opera two performers from the Opera studio and toe combined choruses of Mincols and Brentwood High Schools The opening conoert is at 8 PM Friday at Sonderling High School in Brentwood the second is at 8:30 PM Jan 30 Mineola High The Tully Hall concert is Feb 4 at 8:30 general admission is $250 For ticket information call 747-6700 3tay9s day in court By Jerry Parker The mystery-comedy film Elaine May and Walter Matthau spent summer shooting on Long Island has dissolved into a grim courtroom drama with Mias May and Paramount Pictures cart as adversaries The actress-comedienne has filed suit gainst the movie company to prevent the film "A New Leaf from being released with Miss May credited as director writer and co- Wedaesdoy January 20 1971 A.