‘Sinatra’ opening is postponed

NEW YORK -- The opening of “Sinatra: His Voice. His World. His Way” -- which was to have been Wednesday at Radio City Music Hall -- has been pushed back to Tuesday. Directed by Des McAnuff, artistic director of La Jolla Playhouse, the production was postponed because of technical complications, according to its producers.

The show incorporates visual effects with rarely seen footage -- 35-millimeter film that Frank Sinatra made of himself in 1957 and 1958. The background on the film has been eliminated so the singer’s image can be projected onto moving 3-D panels on the stage, where it sometimes appears up to 30 feet tall.

“Additional preparation is necessary to present this innovative production,” Seth Abraham, the president of Madison Square Garden/Radio City Entertainment, said in a statement.

In addition, the run of the show, 15 performances, has been cut to 11 performances, but Radio City intends to schedule an additional “Sinatra” engagement in February 2004, according to the statement.

“As far as the Sinatra show is concerned, all tickets that are bought you can exchange or refund them,” said Susie Arons, a spokesperson.

When asked what out-of-towners were supposed to do if they couldn’t refund plane tickets, Arons said, “Our guest relations people will deal with each person on a case-by-case basis. That’s what we do if you’re coming in for a Rolling Stones concert that [is] canceled or if someone can’t make our Christmas show.”

The show, which uses video and a 40-piece orchestra as well as film, is now scheduled to run until Oct. 19.