Broadway Shows Discounts

Broadway's biggest shows may be dark, but that's no reason to skip a night on the town - the city's kicking off a Theater District dining week, starting today.

"We're trying to do something for the people that live and work" around Broadway, Mayor Bloomberg said yesterday on his weekly radio show.

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At least 25 restaurants, from Charley O's to the '21' Club, will offer diners 15 percent discounts on lunches, dinners or both.

"I encourage New Yorkers and visitors to take advantage of this great deal and help support restaurants that have been affected by this strike," Bloomberg said.

The mayor helped arrange the special Dining in the District restaurant week after reports that Theater District restaurants have seen their dinner crowds cut in half since stagehands went on strike.

A DRAMATIC PAU$E FOR BIZ

It was a popular Broadway routine: Theatergoers would laugh their heads off at "Curtains" at the Hirschfeld Theatre on West 45th Street, then head over to Charley O's for a steak and a beer.

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No one's laughing now.

"The strike hurts us big time," said Mohamed Islam, general manager of the restaurant at Eighth Avenue and West 45th Street.

Islam, who was reduced to offering 20 percent discounts to passers-by yesterday to drum up business, took to the sidewalk in front of his typically popular eatery to hand out menus.

"It's been very slow," he lamented.

As the bitter Broadway stagehand strike enters its fourth day, focus is slowly shifting from the empty seats around the bargaining table to the empty chairs at area restaurants - and beyond.

Day 7: Strike Goes On as Theatre Community Awaits New Round of Negotiations

As the strike initiated by Local One, the stagehands union, concludes its first week Nov. 16, all in the theatre industry are hoping that the negotiations between the League of American Theatres and Producers and the union, scheduled to begin anew Nov. 17, will bring a quick end to this chapter in Broadway history.

Although the League and the union are scheduled to return to the bargaining table Saturday morning, the League has already announced that the 27 Broadway shows affected by the strike have canceled both Saturday and Sunday performances. The soonest all of Broadway could be up and running is early next week (most shows are dark Monday), and that will only happen should the two sides either reach a tentative agreement this weekend or agree to allow the shows to go on during further negotiations.

Free Performance of The Homecoming Will Be Presented Nov. 25 to Benefit BC/EFA

A free run-through of the upcoming Broadway revival of The Homecoming will be presented Nov. 25 at New World Stages to benefit Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

The evening will feature the cast of the Broadway revival, which had been scheduled to begin performances Nov. 23 at Broadway's Cort Theatre. Because of the strike, previews have been delayed, although the show is still aiming for an official opening Dec. 13.

Ian McShane, Ra�l Esparza, Eve Best, Michael McKean, James Frain and Gareth Saxe will perform the Harold Pinter drama at 8 PM at the Off-Broadway venue. Following the run-through, an appeal will be made for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, whose fundraising drive has been severely affected by the current strike.

Set in North London, The Homecoming, according to press notes, "concerns the ultimate dysfunctional family, presided over by its patriarch Max (McShane).

The Jazz Singer and Robert Youngson

Well, it's been a busy week. After plowing through the excellent four disc Treasures III set last week I jumped into some more silent films on DVD. There're only two reviews this time around, but they're both really good sets that are worth picking up so I thought I'd put the column up early. First off is a pair of Robert Youngson's silent comedy compilations that have been released as The First Kings of Comedy Collection. This single disc presents Youngson's first two features The Golden Age of Comedy and When Comedy Was King. Youngson was pretty much responsible for keeping silent comedies alive through the 60's and 70's and these films are still great fun.

The other title this time around is The Jazz Singer. This three disc set is amazing. Not only does it have the famous film but there are also dozens of early sound shorts and several documentaries on the genesis of synchronized sound. This is one of the few films that I can think of where the extras alone are worth the purchase price.

King Solomon Lives: A Nubian Love Story

Apparently King Solomon has a lot to teach us here in the modern age � at least, that�s the premise behind local playwright/director Danny Hodges�s majestically titled King Solomon Lives: A Nubian Love Story. The play (which is Broadway bound, by the way) starts in 1996 with a boy named David who�s down about the fact that his parents have split. His grandfather comes to the rescue with a bedtime story about King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. The bedtime story fades to a long dream sequence that takes place in the year 976 B.C., with David and the audience transported back to King Solomon�s Egypt. Expect lots of enthusiastic dancing and great music (think Lion King with divorced parents). Even though King Solomon Lives hits the audience on the head with its moral, there�s a kitschy audacity to the show that�s irresistible.