Mamaroneck NY's Emelin Theatre got some bad news today -- of all days -- Friday the 13th of June. Hours before the first dress rehearsal of Millions Of Miles, co-star Rue McClanahan had to leave the production due to "a back problem which requires immediate treatment." Rather than replace her, the producers will postpone the show until she's better, with an opening now set for Sept. 5 (instead of the previous June 20). Co-star Milo O'Shea will also be with the show when it reopens.

The silver lining to this sacroiliac sacrifice is that the show, by Elliott Taubenflag, can run a full month in autumn, rather than the two weeks that had been scheduled for the summer.

Emelin executive director David Watson will use June to do maintenance work on the theatre that had been planned for September. The next Emelin show, as scheduled, will be Athol Fugard's Valley Song (Aug. 6-16).

McClanahan, best known as a "Golden Girl," starred in Off-Broadway's After-Play in 1995. O'Shea was featured in the Roundabout's 1994 revival of Brian Friel's Philadelphia, Here I Come. He also co-wrote and starred in Off-Broadway's Alive, Alive Oh!.

--By David Lefkowitz