They're Da Bomb

First, a moment of silence for Wrong Mountain. David Hirson's lovely play about a poet desperate for recognition posted closing notice soon after opening last month. Dismissed by some important critics and starved of marquee stars (where's Susan Lucci when you need her?), Wrong Mountain reinforces the conventional wisdom that Broadway is no longer a safe place for serious new plays. Ironically, even as it was being aborted, two new musicals -- one on Broadway and one Off -- were renewing hope in the American musical.

Don't be put off by the description of The Bomb-itty of Errors, an Off Broadway, hip-hop twist on Shakespeare's The Comedy of Errors. Yes, it's one of the bard's less stellar endeavors, and simply following the plot is almost more trouble than it's worth. Two sets of twins are mismatched at birth, then they all bump into each other as adults. Hilarity, as they say, ensues. Maybe it's a stretch to say that The Bomb-itty of Errors improves on Shakespeare, but this energetic update is a thrill nonetheless, due primarily to the jaw-dropping performances of Jason Catalano, Jordan Allen-Dutton, Gregory J. Qaiyum, and Erik Weiner. Each spews an amazing stream of clever, outrageous rap lyrics (which incorporate Shakespearean snippets) nonstop for a solid 90 minutes. The four performers, who also wrote Bomb-itty, are all white, so maybe there's an essay here on the mass appropriation of hip-hop (it's a good thing, isn't it?), but I was having too much fun for such serious thought. Watching over the inspired silliness is Jeffrey Qaiyum, the MC who wrote the music and perches atop the minimal set, mixing his beats while the rest of the cast spins comic gold.

If hip-hop Shakespeare sounds odd, how about James Joyce's The Dead, the musical? Having recently transferred to Broadway after a smash debut at Playwrights Horizons last year, this adaptation of the great short story remains both stubbornly intimate and relentlessly beautiful. Set in early 20th-century Dublin, mostly at a Christmas party given by three women for a tight-knit group of Irish friends, The Dead (with haunting parlor music by codirector Richard Nelson and Shaun Davey) invites you to lean forward to hear the offhand murmurs of the actors; you feel you're eavesdropping on the sadness, joy, fear, and friendly politics of strangers. Finally you're drawn in by the solid and touching performances, most notably those of Stephen Spinella, Blair Brown, and Christopher Walken, who serves as narrator and gives the proceedings a decidedly arrhythmic but fascinating heartbeat. Listen closely. The Dead will make you feel very much alive. Bomb-itty : A The Dead : A

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Broadway

AMADEUS For this Broadway revival of his 1980 hit play, playwright Peter Shaffer has rendered Salieri -- the 18th-century court composer consumed with envy of Mozart's genius -- slightly more sympathetic. Too bad he didn't make the play itself less long-winded and static. Despite polished performances by David Suchet and Michael Sheen, you're better off renting Milos Forman's superior 1984 movie version (starring Oscar winner F. Murray Abraham and Tom Hulce) instead. (TC) C -- JC

KISS ME, KATE Cole Porter's (and Bill Shakespeare's) effervescent 1948 musical has never had a more buoyant production. This is why musicals live: singing, dancing, babes, yuks, and a Kate (Marin Mazzie) for the ages. If Brian Stokes Mitchell tries a bit too hard and preens a bit too much as Fred/Petruchio, you're willing to forgive him: Mitchell may have the best Broadway baritone since the man who created the role, Alfred Drake. (TC) A- -- Daniel Okrent

Off Broadway

DINNER WITH FRIENDS Donald Margulies' thought-provoking play asks the question, What happens to the friendship between two married couples when one of the marriages falls apart? Fortunately, the answer is more complex than you might imagine. While the marital squabbling may hit too close to home for some, Margulies throws in humor to keep things from getting overly serious. And the four actors, especially Lisa Emery as a brittle perfectionist, are pitch-perfect. (TC) B+ -- William Stevenson

FUDDY MEERS Like a rollicking carnival ride, this comedy about a woman with really bad amnesia and her extra-dysfunctional family takes the audience on an exhilarating, if ephemeral, trip. Inventive young playwright David Lindsay-Abaire dreamed up the memorably off-kilter characters, who are brought to life by a terrific cast headed by J. Smith-Cameron. Jason Robert Brown composed the evocative music. Endlessly surprising, Fuddy Meers is a wacky delight. (TM) A- -- WS

FULLY COMMITTED A hilarious, heartfelt act of vengeance against anyone who has ever been rude to a restaurant reservations clerk, this lightning-fast one-man show is a perfect meeting of the minds of actor Mark Setlock and writer Becky Mode, both of whom have experience telling disgruntled customers that one of Manhattan's toniest eateries is all booked up, or ''fully committed.'' Appearing as a psycho chef, a fawning maitre d', a panoply of PO'd patrons, and the overburdened operator at the center of it all, Setlock is the best ensemble cast in town. Call for tickets (and be polite!). (TC) A- -- Mark Harris

HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH After the debacle of casting Ally Sheedy as the indomitable transsexual rocker -- and even posting a closing notice -- Hedwig has a new lease on life thanks to current star Matt McGrath, who matches the full-tilt energy of the show's author and original star, John Cameron Mitchell. He also sings the hell out of Stephen Trask's Grammy-nominated tunes. Entering its third year, Hedwig is as healthy as ever. (TC) A -- WS

OUR SINATRA A sweet Off Broadway concoction of cheese and vinegar, in which three fine singers -- Eric Comstock, Christopher Gines, and Hilary Kole -- duo, solo, and trio their way through ''I've Got the World on a String,'' ''Come Rain or Come Shine,'' and dozens more that their musical hero, Frank Sinatra, encased in the American pop canon. Mercifully, they don't try to imitate Ol' Blue Eyes; they simply celebrate his discerning musical taste, do it their way, and occasionally fly you to the moon. (TC) A- -- JC

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The Bomb-itty of Errors 45 BLEECKER

James Joyce's The Dead BELASCO THEATRE

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How to Get TICKETS

Unless otherwise noted, tickets can be ordered (with surcharges) from Tele-Charge (TC), 800-432-7250 (or 212-239-6200 in the New York area); or from Ticketmaster (TM), 800-755-4000 (or 212-307-4100).

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BOX OFFICE

'CHICAGO' HOPE

Bebe Neuwirth (right) just can't get enough of Velma Kelly, the murderous vixen she's now playing -- again -- in the hit revival of Chicago. Neuwirth won a Tony for the show, which opened in 1996, and has stepped back in twice since leaving in 1998. ''I just love the show, and I was anxious to come out and dance some more,'' says Neuwirth, who'll be in Chicago at least through Feb. 23. ''One night on Cheers, and more people knew me for that than for all the theater I had done, but I'm a dancer first.'' The producers are dancing, too, since Neuwirth's return made ticket sales nearly double. The 1920s musical isn't the only one benefiting from TV-star replacements: Former Melrose Place doctor Jack Wagner (no stranger to on-screen split personalities) dons the black cape in Jekyll & Hyde through April. Do not, however, count on Susan Lucci to take over in Annie Get Your Gun when Bernadette Peters hangs up her hat this summer. The show's publicist denies rumors that Lucci (who stepped in for Peters during the holidays) will take over permanently. Lucci's publicist, however, says the star is still in talks with producers. What a soap opera! -- Clarissa Cruz

WEEK'S AVG. PERFS. NET TICKET TO BROADWAY TOP 25 RECEIPTS ATTENDANCE PRICE DATE

1 THE LION KING (TM) 930,450 101.2% $64 920 2 SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER (TM) 619,656 72.6% $63 109 3 KISS ME, KATE (TC) 612,725 78.4% $69 77 4 THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (TC) 523,618 77.9% $53 5,033 5 CHICAGO (TC) 511,264 70.5% $62 1,331 6 ANNIE GET YOUR GUN (TM) 499,154 71.8% $55 374 7 FOSSE (TC) 474,345 74.8% $69 437 8 RENT (TM) 436,514 84.7% $55 1,560 9 BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (TM) 436,007 74.2% $50 2,335 10 CABARET (TC) 427,242 89.8% $65 735 11 LES MISERABLES (TC) 369,924 70.6% $46 5,287 12 SWING! (TC) 357,520 57.5% $45 53 13 FOOTLOOSE (TM) 330,486 81.2% $38 525 14 JEKYLL & HYDE (TC) 321,139 69.6% $54 1,137 15 PUTTING IT TOGETHER (TC) 317,726 69.4% $53 67 16 MISS SAIGON (TC) 309,633 51.2% $43 3,644 17 WAITING IN THE WINGS (TC) 290,326 63.3% $61 45 18 JAMES JOYCE'S THE DEAD (TC) 278,292 66.8% $52 16 19 DAME EDNA (TC) 255,988 65.4% $62 113 20 CATS (TC) 244,369 47.3% $44 7,221 21 AMADEUS (TC) 242,330 72.9% $43 45 22 THE RAINMAKER (TM) 232,976 77.8% $38 84 23 THE PRICE (TC) 177,566 65% $31 80 24 JACKIE MASON (TC) 166,912 94.9% $51 20 25 WRONG MOUNTAIN (TC) 65,195 25.5% $29 10

SOURCE: VARIETY; WEEK OF JAN 31-FEB. 6, 2000 ATTENDANCE PERCENTAGE INCLUDES STANDING-ROOM TICKET SALES