THEATERShubert Closing Doors Sooner Than ExpectedInvoking an...

THEATER

Shubert Closing Doors Sooner Than Expected

Invoking an exit clause in its contract at the Shubert Theatre in Century City, the Shubert Organization plans to leave at the end of this year--nine months before the lease was scheduled to expire.

“The Who’s Tommy,” which runs Dec. 18-30, will probably be the final show at the 30-year-old theater, which is slated for demolition as part of a real estate development deal.

The musical theater group Reprise! had hoped to stage “Follies” as the theater’s swan song. The Stephen Sondheim musical, set in a partially demolished theater, was the opening attraction at the Shubert.

Though the “Follies” production is still on, it is expected to take place in June at a venue to be announced, Marcia Seligson of Reprise! said.

PEOPLE

McCartney’s Fiancee: No Beatles Fan

Paul McCartney’s wife-to-be, Heather Mills, knows next to nothing about the Beatles, the singer-songwriter told a German magazine Wednesday. “She doesn’t know a single song,” he said in an interview in Stern. “Heather grew up with classical music and had friends who listened to hard rock such as AC/DC. She had no Beatles records at home.”

McCartney, 59, and Mills, 33, announced their engagement in London in July.

Be Careful Whom You’re Guarding

Security, without question, is a rough business these days. Not only on the global front but also in the entertainment world--for the people trying to provide it.

Just ask the bodyguards for actor Mark Wahlberg and singer Marilyn Manson, both of whom say they’ve been attacked by their clients.

In a $2-million suit filed recently in Manhattan Supreme Court, bodyguard Leonard Taylor, 32, claims that Wahlberg “maliciously and intentionally, and without just cause or provocation, assaulted, beat and bit him” on Nov. 16 outside a New York City restaurant. No reason for the brawl was given.

Taylor says he suffered “severe, painful personal injuries that prevented him from attending to his usual duties.” Wahlberg’s representatives did not comment.

Security guard David M. Diaz, meanwhile, is now in a Minneapolis court, suing Manson for battery and emotional distress. He claims that, during an Oct. 27, 2000, concert, his head was held against Manson’s hips, which the singer proceeded to “gyrate.” Diaz, who says he was “humiliated [and] degraded,” is seeking more than $75,000.

The suit also names Manson’s touring company and Vivendi Universal, which distributes the singer’s Nothing Records. A Manson spokesman could not be reached for comment.

QUICK TAKES

Alicia Keys, who is playing at the Elton John AIDS benefit at the Universal Amphitheatre on Wednesday, is embarking on her first solo tour, a 28-city package that includes dates at the Wiltern Theatre on Feb. 28 and March 1.... Oscar-winning director Robert Zemeckis (“Forrest Gump”) and actress Leslie Harter are honeymooning in Europe after they married in Venice, Italy, on Tuesday.... U2 will play during halftime at the Super Bowl, to be held in New Orleans Feb. 3 and telecast on Fox.... “Thirteen Days,” about the Cuban missile crisis, will be screened Sunday and Monday at the Havana Film Festival.... Violinist Joshua Bell will autograph CDs after his concerts the L.A. Philharmonic tonight and Saturday at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.

Elaine Dutka