Falk Leaves No Doubt--Movie Role Takes Precedence Over Theater; Kurt Weill Songs Will Help to Entertain L.A. Drama Critics Circle

Exhibit Z in our study of whether actors’ loyalties are with the stage or the screen: Peter Falk is leaving the Ahmanson’s “Light Up the Sky” three weeks early in order to appear in the movie “Vibes,” which starts shooting next week.

Robert Morse will replace him Tuesday and continue for the remainder of the run.

“He (Falk) put a gun to the Ahmanson’s head,” said “Light Up the Sky” producer Christopher Hart. “A week before the first rehearsal, he insisted on a rider (to his contract) that would give him an out if he gave a month’s notice.”

“Normally we would not give such an out,” added Drew Murphy, the Ahmanson’s general manager. “But it came up just before we went into rehearsal, and I had to take a gamble. Peter feels badly about it; no one expected it (the movie) to happen this quickly.”

Indeed, “we were hoping the picture would go (into production) in May or June,” said Falk’s attorney Michael Sherman. “But it was moved up because of the scare of a Directors Guild strike.” (The present Directors Guild contract expires at midnight June 30.)

A spokeswoman for “Vibes” producer Tony Ganz acknowledged that “if the (possibility of a) strike weren’t coming up, we would have taken a couple more weeks of preproduction” but added: “We were always going to go (into production) around this time.”

At any rate, Falk’s departure and mixed reviews have dimmed the chance that “Light Up” will light up Broadway. “One of the linchpins of the move was Peter’s name,” said Hart. “We had agreed that he would have an out in New York only after three months.” (Not so, said Sherman; Falk wanted an option to leave the New York production after four weeks.) “There has been an undeniable cooling off of interest in New York.”

However, the casting switch may have increased the chance that the production could go somewhere other than New York. “Mr. Falk didn’t want to go anywhere else,” said Hart, who now plans to investigate the possibility of other cities. He also hopes to cook up a cable-TV version of the production.

Furthermore, “we’re really excited about Bobby (Morse),” said Hart. “I had seen him doing the role at the Old Vic in London, in the fall of 1985. Then he came to see it here about a week after it opened. We needed someone who was willing to jump in without a guarantee of a New York production. Bobby fit the bill.”

“Light Up” has been grossing more than the Ahmanson’s last two shows, “Wild Honey,” and “Sweet Bird of Youth,” reported Murphy, “but I don’t think we’ll quite break even.” So far, Murphy said, he hasn’t detected any change in ticket sales attributable to Falk’s decision.

Last year, “Berlin to Broadway With Kurt Weill” won four Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle awards. This year, the original cast of that production will perform several numbers from the show at the circle’s awards ceremony Monday, 8 p.m., in the Harry Chandler Auditorium of The Times.

Among the selections will be a version of “Mack the Knife” that’s new to Los Angeles. Described as a “Manhattan Transfer-style arrangement, with seven-part harmony,” it was used as an encore during the cast’s San Francisco staging last fall.

Tickets ($35) include a 6:30 p.m. reception (213) 465-0070.

Buck Henry will join Rue McClanahan and Chloe Webb in “The House of Blue Leaves,” opening at the Pasadena Playhouse on May 3 after a week of previews. It will be Henry’s first stage appearance since the ‘60s, when he was a member of the New York improvisational group the Premise.

While casting “Blue Leaves,” the Playhouse’s artistic directors, Susan Dietz and Stephen Rothman, placed “one of those calls that usually go nowhere” to Henry, said Rothman. “Much to our shock, he said he had been dying to play that part for years.”

Rehearsals began Monday at the Huntington Sheraton Hotel, which donated the use of a meeting room. “It’s next to the tennis courts,” said Rothman. “It’s like being in the Berkshires.”

Speaking of donations to the playhouse, applications to co-produce “Blue Leaves” or any of the other mainstage shows are being accepted. For $10,000, you or your corporation will get not only the predictable perks (opening-night party invitations, credit in the program, access to house seats and a copy of the script) but also the chance to attend otherwise closed rehearsals and your very own dinner with the director.

The rehearsals may be the sticking point, at least as far as the directors and actors are concerned. Can they work with wealthy donors breathing down their necks?

“I was uncomfortable with the idea until I saw how much fun it was,” admitted Rothman, who encountered a similar program while directing at Florida’s Asolo State Theatre. “It was interesting to hear the co-producers’ reactions to how the show was developing.”

On a weekly basis, that is--”I don’t think the co-producers will want to come in on a daily basis,” said Rothman. Furthermore, while directors will listen to co-producers’ ideas, those ideas “probably won’t go any farther--unless they’re really spectacular.”

BITS AND PIECES: Steven Berkoff’s undaunted “Kvetch” celebrated its first year at the Odyssey on March 15--the very day that the New York production closed (it opened to mixed reviews in February). . . . Pass the hat, please. La Jolla Playhouse needs hundreds of hats, from the 1880-1915 era, for its production of “The Matchmaker.” Send them to the playhouse production department, 2910 La Jolla Village Drive, La Jolla, 92037--but don’t expect to get them back. They’ll be glued or otherwise permanently attached to the set.