'Les Miz' on B'way bigscreen

Stars out in force for preem

By CAROL DIUGUID

There was a new "Les Miz" on Broadway Monday night -- Columbia Pictures' and Mandalay Entertainment's latest release, "Les Miserables." The companies premiered the pic at Sony Lincoln Square, some twenty-five blocks up Broadway from the long-running tuner's home at the Imperial theater.

Director Bille August, producers Sarah Radclyffe and James Gorman, scribe Rafael Yglesias and composer Basil Pole-douris were all on hand at the screening and dessert reception following at Coco Opera. The film's stars, Liam Neeson, Geof-frey Rush, Claire Daines and a very pregnant Uma Thurman also joined in the celebration, as did Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group vice chairman Gareth Wigan, Mandalay topper Adam Platnick and Sony Pictures Releasing prexy Jeff Blake.

Also spotted among the crowd: Lauren Bacall, Mark Wahlberg and his mother, Alma, a camera-shy Winona Ryder, Dominick Dunne, domestic doyenne Martha Stewart, Deborah Gibson, Ismail Merchant, and Natasha Richardson, wife of Liam Neeson and star of Broadway critics' darling, "Cabaret."