Shows Can Go On Dec. 31

The show can go on this New Year's Eve, despite a police department recommendation that theaters stay dark on the last night of the millennium.

"You have to allow the signature entertainment for New York Broadway to take place that night," Mayor Rudolph Giuliani said Wednesday.

The police department, fearing that overflowing Times Square crowds could create problems, said Broadway theaters should shut down Dec. 31.

"This was a recommendation that was made to the league of directors, because of safety concerns," police spokeswoman Marilyn Mode said.

Police estimate some 2 million people could pack Times Square to ring in 2000. The theater crowd could add another 40,000. Giuliani said a more sensible plan would be to limit the number of people allowed into Times Square.

Despite the risk of losing hundreds of thousands of dollars in advance ticket sales, many theater owners said they would follow the police suggestion anyway. Among the shows that will not go on that night are Miss Saigon, Phantom of the Opera, and Chicago.

"It's going to be a very, very, very congested area this year," said Lee Silver of the Shubert Organization, which operates 16 theaters.