Adam Arkin. At the John Houseman Theatre, 140 West 42nd St., (212) 239-6200. . LIMITED RUN I. W Firestone, Elaine Grollman and Debra Ben Frances in the Folksbiene Yiddish Theatre production of "The Lady Next Door" yet disturbing look inside the contempo- rary world of architecture. A Korean- American student presents her thesis for a public swimming pool to an all-white male jury of architects. Sexual tensions and intellectual pretensions intertwine. Playwright Safdie, son of renowned architect Moshe Safdie, wrote the film You Can Thank Me Later. His previ- ous works for the stage include the musical Jews & Jesus, about interfaith dating, and Fiddler Sub-Terrain, about the disenfranchisement of the Jewish community in Canada. At the Theater at the Center for Architecture, 536 LaGuardia Place in Greenwich Village, (212) 239-6200. Rounding Third: This well-acted, two- man play is about much more than sports and baseball. It's about father- hood and coping with the curveballs that life may throw your way. The play opens with Don, the Little League coach (Robert Clohessy), waiting to meet his new assistant, Michael (Matthew Arkin), for the first time. Don is a sloppy, driven coach whose goal is to create a winning team. Michael is a conser- vative, uptight businessman who is more concerned with stroking the boys' egos. Michael's son, a nerdy kid who wears glasses, can't swing the bat or catch the ball. While the two coaches clash, secrets about their lives surface. Jewish actor Matthew Arkin (see accompanying story) is the son of actor Alan Arkin and brother of actor Kids and Yiddish: Farrnisht and Far-Fetched: This bilingual Yiddish musical takes kids on an adventure traveling through time and space as they uncover Yiddish and learn its impact on other cultures. Songs include "I Got You, Beyz" and "P.S. I Love Yud." Presented by the Folksbiene Yiddish Theatre, the show is about 90 percent English and 10 percent Yiddish. It runs Nov. 16-Jan. 4. - At the Jewish Community Center, 334 Amsterdam Ave. at West 76th St., (212) 239-6200. The Odd Potato: Running for only eight performances, this musical about Chanukah is directed and choreo- graphed by Randy Skinner (42nd Street). It's a story about a family, whose mother has passed away. The daughter wants to celebrate Chanukah the way they did when her mom was alive. Since the father is too depressed to plan a celebration, the children decide to take over, and the daughter tries to find the family's special menorah. It stars Frank Gorshin (Good Night, Gracie). The show runs Nov. 24-30. At the Symphony Space, at 95th and Broadway, (212) 864-5400. Iron: Set behind the bars of a woman's prison, this is a drama about a young woman, Josie, who sees her mother — who murdered her husband when Josie was only 10 — for the first time in 15 years. Josie hopes the visit will help her move ahead with her life. Chicago-area Jewish director Anna D. Shapiro helms the production. Through Dec. 21. At the Manhattan Theatre Club:Stage II, 131 West 55th St., (212) 581-1212. Schmaltz: Written by Mark Zeller is this comedy about Benny, a neurotic man going through a mid-life crisis. Benny is unhappy, unhealthy and hun- gry for the comfort food of his child- hood, such as chicken-fat sandwiches, gefilte fish on challah and egg creams. But in an effort to lower his choles- terol, his wife puts him into a hypnot- ic state. While in a trance, he is con-. fronted with his family and learns why that food is so important to him. Previews began Nov. 13; the show is scheduled to open Nov. 23. At -the 78th Street Theater Lab, 236 West 78th St., (212) 868-4444. The Merchant of Venice: This produc- tion of the Shakespeare classic explores the dynamics of prejudice, revenge and hypocrisy. Director Shepard Sobel, who is Jewish, confronts not only the play's anti-Semitic views, but exposes multi- ple forms of hatred. It runs through Dec. 7. At the Pearl Theater, 80 St. Mark's Place, (212) 598-9802. The Lady Next Door: Presented by the Folksbiene Yiddish Theater, this come- dy/drama about tenement Jewish life on the Lower East Side of New York first premiered in 1916. With English supertitles above the stage, it's a story about betrayals among a group of neighbors who live in the same tenement. The play runs through Jan. 4, 2004. At the Jewish Community Center, 334 Amsterdam Ave., (212) 239-6200. Violet Hour: Set in 1919, it's a story about an ambitious publisher faced with a dilemma. He has to decide whether he should publish a novel by an aspiring writer and college friend, or the memoirs of his lover, a jazz singer. Meanwhile, matters become more complicated after a strange machine mysteriously arrives at his office. Written by Jewish playwright Richard Greenberg, who won a Tony Award for his play Take Me Out, it is scheduled to run through Dec. 21. At the Baltimore Theater, 261 West 47th St., (212) 239-6200. Rose's Dilemma: One of the most famous Jewish playwrights ever, Neil Simon has dozens of Broadway, Off- Broadway and film credits to his name. Yet another Simon play hits the stage this month. This one stars Mary Tyler Moore as writer Rose Steiner, and takes place in a beach house in the Hamptons. Steiner is short on cash and wants to write a "big thing" fast. Her former lit- erary lover has an idea that could make her a fortune, and she jumps at the chance. Previews begin Nov. 20; the show opens Dec. 9 for a limited 11-week run. At the Manhattan Theater Club at City Center-Stage 1, 131 West 55th St., (212) 581-1212.1D ILL PREPARE OUR MGT 'NG INVER! 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