COMING ATTRACTIONS

Five Broadway theaters deemed “endangered” by producers because of the high cost of mounting shows are experimenting with the notion of “discount theater.” The New York Times reported Wednesday that the five theaters--the Belasco, the Ritz, The Lyceum, the Nederlander and the Biltmore--will seek to specialize in dramatic works in short supply in the recent glut of glitzy musicals on the Great White Way. Unions, performers and producers will be asked to take pay cuts in exchange for using the theaters to mount new productions, and ticket prices may be cut as much as 20%, said Harvey Sabinson of the League of American Theaters and Producers. The experiment begins on Feb. 26 with “Stardust,” a relatively low-cost ($1 million) musical revue.