‘Heidi’ Heads for L.A.--but Expect a Wait; Lyman to Close Doors of Directors’ Theatre

“Heidi” is coming to Hollywood.

But don’t hold your breath waiting for the national tour of “The Heidi Chronicles,” last year’s multi-award-winning comedy by Wendy Wasserstein. Its producer Jim Walsh reports that it has been tentatively penciled in for a 12-week run at the Doolittle Theatre, beginning on April 1 or 2, 1991, as part of the next Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson season. No casting has been set.

ADT FOLDS: “I’m looking for Producers Anonymous at this point,” said Dorothy Lyman.

She was talking about her decision to close A Directors’ Theatre, an organization she founded, ran and subsidized. The group has staged 12 productions and 35 readings at the Lex Theatre in Hollywood during the last three years.

There were “a lot of reasons” for her decision, many of them related to the concurrent end of “Mama’s Family,” the syndicated TV series on which she played Naomi.

“In a 50-seat theater, there is always a deficit, which I could pick up because I was overpaid for my TV work,” said Lyman. She ended up spending 50% of her salary on the theater. “I thought if I seeded it for three years, enough other people would take the responsibility to make sure it stuck around.”

But the other people failed to materialize in sufficient numbers. The theater attracted only 168 subscribers at last count, “and most of them never showed up.”

“I am a terrible fund-raiser,” acknowledged Lyman, “and I never found a proper managing director (to run the business side of the theater).” She also was “disappointed with my directors about 80% of the time,” discouraged by the lack of press attention devoted to the theater’s recent young playwrights contest, and disheartened by the battles that flared in Actors’ Equity over new rules in smaller theaters. That controversy prompted Lyman to resign from the stage actors’ union.

Finally, she concluded that “there are a lot of other people who can produce smaller theater well. We just didn’t distinguish ourselves.”

Lyman will direct ADT’s last show, “My Heart Belongs to Daddy,” opening Feb. 14, and also will direct a new play for the New Place Theatre Co. in Rolling Hills Estates next fall, but generally she hopes to concentrate on her acting career. “I need a new job,” she said.

SLOW DELIVERY: The first performance of “Love Letters” at Pasadena Playhouse has been postponed from Feb. 9 to Feb. 25. It had been scheduled for the mainstage; later performances would transfer to the smaller Balcony Theatre. But artistic director Susan Dietz decided the mainstage was too big for the play and shifted the entire “Love Letters” run to the Balcony, which wasn’t available until the later date . . . The opening of “Wooman, Lovely Wooman” at the Tiffany has been postponed from Feb. 8 to Feb. 16, with previews now starting on Feb. 9. “Production elements are taking a lot longer than we thought they would,” said L.A. Theatre Works producer Susan Loewenberg.

FREE AT THE TAPER: Kenneth Branagh and members of his Renaissance Theatre Company will discuss their productions of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and “King Lear” on March 2 at 3 p.m. in the Mark Taper Forum. Reservations are required; call (213) 972-0775.

“Other Voices,” the Mark Taper Forum’s workshop for writers with physical or sensory disabilities, will present free public performances of four scenes Monday at 7:30 p.m. at the Music Center Annex, 601 W. Temple St. Another four scenes will be presented Feb. 12. Information: (213) 597-6511.