The Broadway revival of Neil Simon's The Odd Couple, starring the golden duo of Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick, will begin previews on Oct. 4 at the Brooks Atkinson, Playbill.com has learned. The Atkinson is currently home to Democracy, which is set to close April 17.

Reheasals are to begin on Sept. 6. Emanuel Azenberg, Ira Pittelman, Jeffrey Sine, Max Cooper and Ben Sprecher are producing.

Joe Mantello will direct the staging, which would reunite the stars of The Producers. The venture would likely be a limited run.

Broderick recently performed Off-Broadway in The Foreigner. Lane, meanwhile, reprised his role of Max Bialystock in the London premiere of The Producers.

Lane and Broderick would play Oscar Madison and Felix Unger in Simon's classic The Odd Couple. Lane would be the sloppy sportswriter Madison, while Broderick would be the uptight photographer Felix Unger (the twosome might also switch roles at some performances, it has been reported).

In addition to his Tony-winning roles in The Producers and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Nathan Lane has starred on The Great White Way in Present Laughter, Merlin, The Wind in the Willows, Some Americans Abroad, On Borrowed Time, Guys and Dolls, Laughter on the 23rd Floor, Love! Valour! Compassion! and The Man Who Came to Dinner.

Matthew Broderick received Tony Awards for his performances in Brighton Beach Memoirs and the revival of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. He was also Tony-nominated for his work in The Producers, and his other theatre credits include Biloxi Blues, Night Must Fall, Taller Than a Dwarf, On Valentine's Day, Torch Song Trilogy and The Widow Claire.

The original Broadway production of The Odd Couple opened at Broadway's Plymouth Theatre in March 1965. Art Carney and Walter Matthau starred as, respectively, Felix and Oscar. The production won four 1965 Tonys, including awards for Matthau (Actor), Simon (Author), Mike Nichols (Director) and Oliver Smith (Scenic Designer). Matthau then repeated his role on film opposite the Felix of Jack Lemmon. The long-running TV version of Simon's work featured Jack Klugman (Oscar) and Tony Randall (Felix).

“This event is an excellent example of the many ways in which the production industry benefits our local communities,” Katherine Oliver, Commissioner of the Mayor’s Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting, said. “New York City is thrilled to host a production that is so committed to giving back.”

The long-talked-about Broadway revival of Neil Simon's The Odd Couple, starring the golden duo of Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick, is now aiming at a Broadway opening in August 2005.

Joe Mantello would direct the production, which would reunite the stars of The Producers. The venture would likely be a limited run. Emanuel Azenberg, the veteran showman long associated with Simon, will be lead producer.

"We are amicably negotiating with Nathan and Matthew and Joe Mantello," Azenberg told Playbill On-Line. Broderick is currently performing Off-Broadway in The Foreigner. Lane is reprising his role of Max Bialystock in the London premiere of The Producers. Once their runs are done, the two will begin work on the film version of The Producers.

No theatre has been mentioned for the mounting. Joe Mantello, the hot Broadway director of the moment, has won Tony Awards for his work on Assassins and Take Me Out.

Lane and Broderick would play Oscar Madison and Felix Unger in Simon's classic The Odd Couple. Lane would be the sloppy sportswriter Madison, while Broderick would be the uptight photographer Felix Unger (the twosome might also switch roles at some performances, it has been reported).

Matthew Broderick received Tony Awards for his performances in Brighton Beach Memoirs and the revival of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. He was also Tony-nominated for his work in The Producers, and his other theatre credits include Biloxi Blues, Night Must Fall, Taller Than a Dwarf, On Valentine's Day, Torch Song Trilogy and The Widow Claire.

The original Broadway production of The Odd Couple opened at Broadway's Plymouth Theatre in March 1965. Art Carney and Walter Matthau starred as, respectively, Felix and Oscar. The production won four 1965 Tonys, including awards for Matthau (Actor), Simon (Author), Mike Nichols (Director) and Oliver Smith (Scenic Designer). Matthau then repeated his role on film opposite the Felix of Jack Lemmon. The long-running TV version of Simon's work featured Jack Klugman (Oscar) and Tony Randall (Felix).

Brooks, a Brooklyn native, said new financial incentives and his love of New York helped persuade him to shoot at the recently opened Steiner Studios.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Gov. George Pataki credited new state and local tax credit programs with attracting Brooks' film to New York.

Brooks had another reason. "The bagels, just the bagels alone," he said. "You go to Toronto, they're mushy."

"The Producers: The Movie Musical" will star Nathan Lane, Matthew Broderick, Nicole Kidman and Will Ferrell. The $45 million production will begin shooting in late February, Brooks said Tuesday at a press conference at Steiner Studios.

Lane and Broderick will repeat their roles as the rapscallion producer Max Bialystock and his nebbish accomplice Leopold Bloom. Brooks is producing the new film, to be directed by Susan Stroman, who directed and choreographed the stage show.

The stage musical was based on the original 1968 movie by Brooks starring Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder as two producers who set out to swindle investors by creating a musical flop. Brooks wrote the original film, which became a Broadway success in 2001 and won a record 12 Tonys.

Steiner Studios is the centerpiece of the city's efforts to revitalize the Navy Yard, a World War II shipbuilding hub that had lapsed into disrepair. Another five films are expected to be shot there soon, a Steiner official said, although they have yet to be publicly announced.

The production, to be directed by Scott Schwartz, will open Nov. 7 at the Roundabout Theatre Company's Laura Pels Theatre. Preview performances begin Oct. 15. Additional casting will be announced.
Official website

Matthew Broderick has been dubbed "Father of the Year" by London's premier men's grooming company with the world's oldest barbershop, Truefitt & Hill, in their inaugural "Father of the Year" honor to the award-winning stage and screen actor.

In announcing the award, Guy Cartwright, president and CEO of Truefitt & Hill North America, said, "Matthew Broderick is a very dedicated parent, who takes the role of fatherhood very seriously. His zealous commitment to love and nurture his son, despite extraordinary business and social demands is truly exemplary. We at Truefitt & Hill are proud to present Matthew Broderick with our 'Father of the Year' award."

Broderick became a father on October 28, 2002, when his wife Sarah Jessica Parker gave birth to James Wilke Broderick, at New York's Lenox Hill Hospital. According to Cartwright, there were many deserving candidates for the award this year. He noted that the selection process was not as easy one, and included scores of celebrities, athletes, business leaders and elected officials.

"I am pleased to be Truefitt & Hill's first 'Father of the Year' recipient. I am truly blessed as a father and a husband, and would like to thank the people at Truefitt & Hill for this recognition," Broderick said.

Broderick brings the best of both worlds to Truefitt & Hill's 'Father of the Year' accolade with exceptional care in parenting and uplifting charismatic demeanor. He will receive the Royal treatment with the renowned barbershop's luxurious shaves, a year's supply of Truefitt & Hill's world-class shaving, fragrance, hair and bath products, and other pampering services. Mr. Broderick will also be offered the first shave and manicure at Truefitt & Hill's Las Vegas barbershop opening October 2004 in the Forum Shops at Caesars.

Established in 1805, Truefitt & Hill has a rich and extraordinary heritage, shaving many of the world's most famous faces such as John Wayne, Frank Sinatra, Fred Astaire, Lord Laurence Olivier, Cary Grant, Winston Churchill, Oscar Wilde, Charles Dickens, and the Royal families of England -- continuing to this day. Now Matthew Broderick's name will be added to that illustrious list of distinguished gentlemen.
Lane, Broderick Return to 'The Producers',By MICHAEL KUCHWARA (12/31/03)

It's springtime for Broadway once more: Nathan and Matthew are back together again. To roars of approval, Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick, the original stars of "The Producers," returned Tuesday night to the Mel Brooks musical at Broadway's St. James Theatre.

As soon as Lane, who plays charlatan producer Max Bialystock in the show, stepped out on stage, theatergoers started cheering. Moments later, they did the same for Broderick, who portrays Leopold Bloom, Bialystock's nebbish accomplice.

Both stars appeared relaxed and expansive, embellishing their performances with new bits of vocal and physical business. Lane got one of the biggest laughs of the evening when he warned the neophyte Bloom, "Never put your own money in a show. That's taboo." It was an inside-theater reference to the $10 million and more Rosie O'Donnell has put up as producer of the Boy George musical "Taboo."

When Broderick dropped his cane during the show's finale, Lane affectionately patted him on the cheek as the theatergoers lustily applauded.

After it opened at the St. James in April 2001, the show, which won a record 12 Tony Awards, became Broadway's hottest ticket. It remained so until Lane and Broderick left the musical a year later.

Henry Goodman, Lane's replacement, was fired within the month. "Not funny enough" was the complaint, and Goodman was replaced by understudy Brad Oscar.

Since then, the musical, which until Tuesday's performance was headlined by Fred Applegate and Don Stephenson, has had respectable grosses, though not exactly sellout levels.

With Lane and Broderick once again in the show, "The Producers" has returned to tough-ticket status, with the musical basically sold out the entire length of their engagement, through April 4.

Yet there are still some $480 tickets available, according to Richard Frankel, one of the musical's producers. About 150 tickets are being set aside for each performance to be sold at that price through Broadway Inner Circle, a premium ticket service, Frankel said Tuesday.

And, of course, tickets are on sale for after Lane and Broderick leave in April. No word yet on their replacements.

The New York Times presents the event which includes a special edition of its "TimesTalks" discussion panels at The City University of New York's Graduate Center, located in Manhattan at Fifth Avenue and 34th Street.

Returning The Producers stars Matthew Broderick and Nathan Lane discuss their award-winning collaboration in the Mel Brooks musical, Jan. 11 from 8-9:15 PM. Times associate editor John Darnton moderates the talk "The Producers Stage Two."

Some events are already sold out. For tickets or more information on the special edition of "TimesTalks" and other "Arts & Leisure Weekend" events, visit www.nytimes.com/alweekend

Alan Ruck Steps Into Pal Matthew Broderick's Shoes for Tour of 'Producers'--Kenneth Jones Playbill On-Line
When the national tour of The Producers uproots itself after an eight-month run in Los Angeles in January 2004, Alan Ruck will be playing Leo Bloom opposite Lewis J. Stadlen as Max Bialystock, the producers announced Nov. 13.

Ruck is known for TV's "Spin City." Fans will remember his projects with Matthew Broderick (who originated the role of Leo Bloom on Broadway). They first worked together in Neil Simon's Tony-Award winning Biloxi Blues and then appeared together as high-school pals in the feature film, "Ferris Bueller's Day Off."

There are currently four North American stagings: Broadway, Toronto and tour road companies. Visit www.theproducersontour.com for more information.

Lane, Broderick in Talks for 'Producers' Encore
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Actors Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick are in talks to rejoin the Broadway production of "The Producers" for an encore run starting in January, the show's spokesman said on Wednesday.

The news sent theater fans flocking to the box office seeking tickets even though reports that the charismatic co-stars were returning for a three-month stint in the hit musical comedy proved to be somewhat premature.

"Discussions are taking place between the producers and Nathan and Matthew about the possibility of returning to the show," said show spokesman John Barlow. "When they come back and for how long is still to be determined."

Some 200 people lined up outside the St. James Theater ahead of its 10 a.m. opening for ticket sales, excited about the prospect of seeing Lane and Broderick reunited in the Mel Brooks show that won a record 12 Tony Awards in 2001.

"I'll do anything to see Nathan Lane," said New Yorker Claire Castro. "I missed the show the first time around and when they left I truly lost interest."

Lane and Broderick played the roles of Max Bialystock and Leo Bloom on Broadway for a one-year run that saw "The Producers" become the hottest ticket in town with weekly gross sales exceeding $1 million. The show has been playing to an average of about 85 percent of capacity since, according to Barlow.

Tickets for "The Producers" are put on sale in three-month blocks and the next batch is slated to go on sale within the next few weeks, Barlow said. (Additional reporting by Chad Ruble)

"My father had the record on a lot," Broderick told reporters. "He used to sing it more than me. I think he wanted to play that part (Professor Harold Hill) so badly that when I got the chance I was like, 'Yeah, I better do that.' Because I forgot that it was him, actually, not me who wanted that so badly."

Like most people, Broderick thinks Robert Preston was perfect for "The Music Man," but he isn't worried about eclipsing what is already a high bar.

"Robert Preston is totally spectacular," Broderick said. "It's one of those things where the guy and the part just met perfectly. It's hopeless to even think about that too much. I just tried to approach it from scratch and think about a man coming into a town, doing his usual routine and then he gets his foot caught in the door."

In the musical, Hill cons the parents into buying his expensive instruments and uniforms, convincing them that his revolutionary music training program, "The Think System," will turn their youngsters into virtuoso performers. Broderick said he's too nice a guy to con anyone that way.

"I've only perpetuated him on TV I believe, and in movies," Broderick said. "I don't get conned very often, I don't think. I've been tricked in pool halls. And somebody says, 'Yeah, I bet I can make this shot.' Which you should always say, 'I'm sure you can' by the way, everyone."

Broderick is the "The Man" By Ann Oldenburg, USA Today (2/11/03)
Here he comes, sauntering down the street. Wearing a puffy jacket and a ski cap, he has his hands jammed into his pants pockets. It's cold. It's snowing. It's Ferris Bueller.

Even after all these years and successes, it's hard not to think of Matthew Broderick in the cult classic that launched him into stardom and made him a hero to kids. The guy with boyish charm. The perfect teen con man.

Mothers wag their fingers about how it made their children want to skip school. Kids today who see the 1986 movie for the first time want him to sign autographs.

''For a while, I felt slightly that people weren't liking anything else,'' says the 40-year-old actor. ''But I don't feel that anymore.''

He has settled into a table at Pastis, a trendy restaurant he likes that's about five blocks from where he lives with his wife, Sex and the City star Sarah Jessica Parker, 38, and their nearly 4-month-old son, James.

''I feel glad that I was in a movie that stayed around,'' he continues, chatting about Ferris Bueller's Day Off. ''I can't help but be very proud of that. It would be a drag if I was totally not doing anything now. That might be upsetting.''

But he's totally doing a lot of stuff now. Still flush from his role in last year's Broadway smash The Producers, he's about to start filming a movie called Providence, and on Sunday night he has the starring role in ABC's remake of The Music Man (7 p.m. ET/PT). It's true song-and-dance-man stuff, but that's not how Broderick sees himself.

''No, not quite.''

Why not?

''I'd probably need to be able to sing and dance.'' He explains: ''I like dancing. I just can't do anything. I didn't go to dance class, I can't tap -- the things you traditionally think of. Fred Astaire, they said -- although it's supposedly not true -- there was a studio report on him that said: 'Can't sing. Can't act. Can dance a little.' I can't sing, can't dance, can act a little. That would be my report.''

But he has that boyish charm, a description used so often about him that he must be tired of it.

''Tired of it? It's OK, as long as it doesn't mean nobody can believe me playing an adult.''

The question is: Will he be believable in the role made famous by Robert Preston as strong, smooth-talking Harold Hill in Meredith Willson's musical about trouble in River City, Iowa? In the story, Hill collects money from honest, hardworking people by trading on their love for their children, promising them a marching band in return. His secret: He knows nothing about music.

''Preston made us forget what Harold was doing with this charisma -- he duped us, the audience, exactly the same way he duped the people of River City. Can Broderick do the same? I don't know,'' says Scott Miller, author of a book called Deconstructing Harold Hill and artistic director at St. Louis' New Line Theatre.

''He was brilliant as a similar character in Ferris Bueller -- a very charming scoundrel -- but Ferris was just skipping school. Professor Harold Hill is stealing good people's money by using their kids as bait, and we have to love him for it. That's a totally different ballgame.''

People magazine says he's ''a comparatively low-key Hill,'' and though ''likable as usual,'' he's ''miscast.''

The actor says he was worried about tackling the role. ''At first I was just like, of course not. I thought of it as this already-done thing. I grew up with it like everybody else did.''

What made the part difficult was the fact that it's an odd melding of film and play, with the ultimate outcome being a TV movie.

''The real challenge,'' he says, ''is it's just a very large role.''

Another challenging role: turning 40, which Broderick did this year. Was it momentous?

''I guess so. I don't know what to do about it. I'm glad I finally have a baby.''

Does the baby make you feel older? Younger?

''Tireder,'' he says.

Still, he says, he hopes he and his wife have more children.

''I think about getting older, but it seems like such a hopeless thing. I don't dwell on it much. It's interesting to watch people I started with, and I look at them on TV or in a movie and say, 'Wow, he's got gray hair' and then think, 'Wait a minute. We're the same age.' '' And, he concedes, ''I've got a lot of gray hair.''

Among people he has worked with is Jeffrey Jones, who played the frustrated principal in Ferris Bueller. Jones has been arrested on charges of possession of child pornography.

''I've lost touch with him,'' Broderick says, ''but I always liked him so much. I don't know any of the details. I always thought he was great. I hope everything works out.''

That time in Broderick's life was filled with upheaval. He was involved in a car accident in Ireland just as the movie was coming out. He was driving with then-fiance Jennifer Grey. A woman and child in the other car were killed. He was charged with reckless driving and paid a small fine. He has put it behind him ''as much as you can,'' he says. ''I don't think I'll ever forget about it.''

Those days are far from these days. He's a hot Hollywood commodity, and he's married to one, too. Last summer, Parker's Sex and the City was must-see TV on Sundays. And for Broderick, there was The Producers with Nathan Lane.

''It was one of the most amazing times in my life. We walked into the theater one night with our first preview with an audience, and we walked out and everything was different.''

So as a result he has a stack of scripts waiting for him at home? ''Sometimes I have a big pile. Sometimes I have two cable movies,'' he cracks.

Of course, he says, he's set financially. ''I shouldn't say 'financially,' because who knows what's happening (with the economy)?'' He knocks on the wooden table and takes a swig of his San Pellegrino water. ''I can say I don't have to get a job.'' Then he grins. ''I can live off my wife for at least 10 more years.''

Her success with Sex has ''just grown and grown,'' he says. ''The time I was most aware, the time it was most, frankly, unpleasant, was when she was pregnant and when the photographers were very interested in photos of the baby.''

But weren't things really bad before she even got pregnant? They were getting a divorce, according to gossip that started in 2001 after she didn't thank him from the Golden Globes podium.

''I didn't care about that,'' he says. ''It was so not true.'' Then he adds with a grin, ''At least I wasn't aware we were getting a divorce. And I didn't mind not being thanked -- for the record. I've never loved the 'I want to thank my lover.' I was there at (this year's) Golden Globes, and both Sarah and I noticed when Jennifer Aniston forgot to thank her husband.''

Broderick's dad, James, was an actor, so he grew up knowing life in the fishbowl.

''I have been stared at for 20 years now, so I'm a little bit used to that. The part I didn't grow up with and I'm new to is the fame that has happened to Sarah. I was never in that league before.''

And, he acknowledges, ''I'm sure we'll be upset when nobody gives a damn.''

For the past four months, however, they have been playing the role of new parents. It's tough. Just the other day, he says, they visited a ''sleep expert,'' someone who told them to put the baby down and let him cry himself to sleep. They couldn't do it. ''It's a very happy time,'' he says, ''and sometimes -- as people with a young baby know -- you want to kill yourself.''

He's a new dad. Forgive him.

Broderick's take on his life: ''Overall, I feel, you know, cautiously optimistic. I'm very happy with my baby, and I never know how to put that -- 'very happy' doesn't sound right. I really like the script I'm about to do. So those are very nice things. But, you know, I might get there and start shooting this movie and it might not be like I'm thinking it's going to be. I'm always ready for . . . ''

A big problem?

''Big problem,'' he confirms.

Where's boyishly charming? This is gloomy.

''Some people have called me negative,'' he says. ''I don't feel I'm negative. Sarah's the upbeat one. She's the nice one and I'm the mean one. It always looks that way. Actually, in reality, I'm the nice one and she's the mean one.''

He smiles, then tries to elaborate: ''With fans, I'm always grumpy and she's always incredibly sweet. No, we're both pretty nice. Although compared to her -- she'll be like, 'Here's the keys, take anything you want.' ''

The two of them will spend the next month or so in L.A. She'll have to come back to New York with the baby to begin shooting the final season of Sex and the City at the end of March. He'll come back on three-day weekends.

That's not hard on their nearly 6-year-old marriage, he insists. ''We've been doing that forever.''

What about other people on the set? Parker's show is about relationships and, well, sex. And his co-star love interest in Providence will be Calista Flockhart. Is that ever a problem?

''No. That's kind of a fun thing about being an actor. You have permission to do things like that. It's what we do.''

But for all the comfort with each other, ask him if he sees himself being married forever and you'll see a person freak out. ''If I think of it that way, I want to kill myself!'' Then he laughs.

Taking it one day at a time, eh? ''Yeah, It's a little like AA,'' he says, still chuckling. ''I really like being married, honestly. But I can't think of it as a forever. But I know it probably is.''

TV Guide Article
ON THE TORONTO SET of Meredith Willson's The Music Man, 66 actors fill the bleachers of a fictitious high school gymnasium, decorated circa 1912. The men are buttoned into wool blazers, the women trussed in corsets. On this 70-degree June day, the air conditioning is broken. But only one actor is sweating. It's the Music Man's number.

Between takes - he's high-stepping his way through "Seventy-Sex Trombones" - Matthew Broderick sheds his heavy bandleader's jacket and wipes his brow. What, he is asked, attracted him to this three-hour, Wonderful World of Disney remake of the legendary stage show and movie?

"It's one of the most challenging male parts in a musical," Broderick says. "And I always think you should do the thing you're most scared of." He laughs adding, "now, of course, I regret it."

He's joking, but only a little. It's been 40 years since the late Robert Preston - widely considered the Music Man by musical theather buffs - brought fast-talking charmer Professor Harold Hill to the big screen after creating him for the Broadway stage. Producers Neil Meron and Craig Zadan, who scored big at the Golden Globes last month with their hit movie musical, "Chicago," say Broderick is just the man for The Music Man. Since his career-sparking roles in "Brighton Beach Memoirs," for which he won a Tony in 1983, and the 1986 movie "Ferris Bueller's Day Off," Broderick has come to be best known for his work in Broadway musicals - most recently in "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying," for which he snagged his second Tony in 1995, and in the 2001 smash hit "The Producers."

From the start, Meron and Zadan felt the 40-yet-still-boyish actor could hoodwink the small town of River City, Iowa, into buying band instruments, and do it realistically. "All the performances in the movie [were] so fever pitched," Zadan says. "We wanted to remove the cartoon element and let the humor and the love story shine through." The team went with Tony winner Kristin Chenoweth for Shirley Jones's role of Marion the Librarian.

The following January in New York City, Broderick is no longer talking regrets: The TV-movie and life in general are pretty good. The actor became a dad in October, when his wife, Sex and the City siren Sarah Jessica Parker, gave birth to their first child, James. Like his father, James will be raised in New York City, but wherever he goes, he shouldn't have trouble making friends. His father voiced the grown Simba in Disney's 1994 hit "The Lion King," and just lent his vocals to another upcoming children's film, "Good Boy!" as a space-traveling dog named Hubble. And there are always those other bragging rights: His dad was Ferris Bueller. Does it get any cooler than that?

Sue In The City (1/20/03)
Hollywood couple Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick are suing the same cosmetics giant that upset Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman.

Sex In The City's Parker and actor Broderick are filing a $15 million lawsuit against Sephora claiming they have been the victims of "false representation," according to Britain's Daily Sport newspaper.

The couple are upset that their names and photographs have been used by the company to "reap millions of dollars" of free publicity.

They allege that Sephora used their "highly valuable" names and images to fool customers into thinking they were endorsing the products.

But the acting duo claim they never gave their consent for their photo to appear in the company's brochure, nor do they endorse the perfumes mentioned.

Similarly, last September, Cruise and Kidman joined forces to file a $15 million lawsuit, accusing the firm of using a photo of them together in brochures as part of its 2001 advertising campaign without their consent.

Parker, Broderick and Baby!--By Marcus Errico (10/29/02)
All that sex in the city comes to this: Sarah Jessica Parker and hubby Matthew Broderick are playing parents to a new baby boy.

The Parker-Broderick joint made his debut early Monday morning in Manhattan, according to the actress' publicist, Ina Treciokas.

The rep says the child checked in at 6 pounds, 8 ounces and measured 19 1/2 inches. Mom, dad and tyke are all said to be doing well.

Treciokas, however, disputes a report in the New York Post claiming the child was named David Perkins Broderick. The Post claimed a placard placed outside the couple's Lenox Hill Hospital room announced the moniker; Treciokas says the boy is still nameless.

According to the newspaper, the baby was born around 3 a.m., and, according to unnamed hospital sources, Parker's labor was remarkably smooth--David arrived after only an hour of pushing.

The Post also says the couple came to the hospital "with two cars full of security guards in tow" and were taken to a "heavily-guarded" private room on the sixth floor.

Aside from Broderick, who was in the delivery room, the Post reports, Parker's Sex and the City (news - Y! TV) pal Cynthia Nixon (news) managed to make it past security and briefly visited the newbie parents on Monday. Nixon is also preggers and is due later this year.

This is the first baby for the 37-year-old Parker and her 40-year-old husband. The twosome celebrated their fifth wedding anniversary in May.

Parker is facing a few months of diaper duty before resuming her Sex and the City chores. The show's fifth season was split in two after producers decided not to incorporate Parker's surprise pregnancy in the plot, with the second portion beginning shooting in February.

Broderick, late of Broadway's The Producers, will next be seen in the ABC TV movie version of the classic musical The Music Man, slated for a February sweeps air date.

And the relatives of Margaret Doherty and Anna Gallagher, killed when the star's BMW crossed into the wrong lane and slammed into their Volvo, say the sit-down will finally bring closure.

"He didn't kill my mother and sister deliberately," said Martin Doherty, who still grieves for the family he lost in the horror crash.

"There were strong feelings at the time, but I have since forgiven him and feel no anger toward him."

A spokesman for Broderick, who had an extraordinary Broadway run with "The Producers," told The Post: "Matthew is willing to meet up with them. There is no ill will - not any sort of anger. The family is seeking some sort of closure."

The meeting will take place sometime next year, after the birth this autumn of Matthew and wife Sarah Jessica Parker's first baby.

The awful crash occurred Aug. 5, 1987, as the career of the 25-year-old Greenwich Village native was taking off.

Broderick was in Northern Ireland, vacationing with his then-girlfriend, "Dirty Dancing" star Jennifer Grey, when the tragedy occurred.

As they drove in a rented BMW along a country road in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, Broderick inexplicably veered into the opposite lane. He smashed head-on into the car driven by Gallagher, 30, with her 63-year-old mom as a passenger.

The actor - who had not been drinking - spent four weeks in a Belfast hospital with a fractured leg and ribs, collapsed lung and concussion. Grey escaped with minor injuries. Both women in the other car were killed instantly.

Broderick told authorities he had no recollection of the crash and didn't know why he was in the wrong lane. "I don't remember the day. I don't remember even getting up in the morning. I don't remember making my bed. What I first remember is waking up in the hospital, with a very strange feeling going on in my leg," he said at the time.

Broderick was charged with causing death by dangerous driving and faced up to five years behind bars. He was later convicted of the lesser charge of careless driving and fined just $175 - which had the victims' stunned family calling the case "a travesty of justice."

"There was a note after the accident from him saying how sorry he was - but no other contact," Martin Doherty said. "I would like a private meeting just between the family and him. I would like to reassure him that there are no bad feelings from us."

Broderick, now 40, acknowledges he was haunted then by the accident - and still is today. "It was extremely difficult coming to grips with what happened, but in time I felt better about that terrible experience. Therapy helped," he told the new issue of the British women's mag Best.

Madame Tussaud's, the London-based wax museum which lures millions of tourists to its doors each year, recently unveiled at its 42nd Street branch figures of actors Lane and Broderick as their Producers characters Max Bialystock and Leo Bloom. The two performers posed for the wax statues.

Madame Tussaud also has a wax museum in Amsterdam. The personalities on view at each museum are routinely rotated, keeping pace with changing fashions and the election of new heads of state. Actors are often featured, though theatre-based performers are rare. The London branch is the most popular tourist attraction in that city.

Times Square's Madame Tussaud is located on 42nd Street between Seventh and Eighth. Admission for adults is a hefty $22; $17 for kids 4 to 17.