The burgundy walls were just wrong. With the opening of Prelude, an upscale restaurant inside the Adrienne Arsht Center, less than two weeks away, restaurateur and event planner Barton G., showman to the core, decided he had to repaint.

The burgundy had been his idea -- in fact, he designed every inch of Prelude by Barton G., from the backlit, upholstery-covered walls to the onyx bar to the curvy mahogany banquettes to the menu, toned down for the more staid theater-going crowd but still offering enough Barton theatrics to indulge his fans.

For seven years, Barton G. The Restaurant, on South Beach, has relied, literally, on smoke, mirrors and all manner of pizazz to draw celebs and camera-happy crowds who froth at the sight of the high-kitsch presentations.

``But stylistically, Prelude is very different from Barton G.,'' says Barton Gerald Weiss, who has a rep as Miami's most over-the-top event planner. Though, he'll tell you he has mellowed.

``I walked in here the other day and I saw those burgundy walls and I was overwhelmed. The room has to be more subdued, and a lot lighter,'' says Barton, who will also run the Bombay Sapphire Lounge, expected to open in the former Sears Tower in January or February. The place will serve light fare and cocktails inside and at an outdoor lounge area. And like Prelude, it will be open even when the Arsht theaters are dark.

WILL THEY COME?

There can be as many as 5,000 people at the center when the theaters are sold out. But ticket sales have fallen off as a result of the throttled economy -- and upscale restaurants all over South Florida have also been feeling the pinch. So how much of a gamble is Prelude, especially since it isn't visible from the street?

``There are people who already have tickets for a series of five performances and also have made dinner reservations for all five nights,'' Barton says. ``On big show nights, the problem is going to be accommodating all the people who want to come in. On nights when the theaters are dark, we'll be drawing from downtown, Brickell, the Beach.''

Prelude opens to the public Friday. But the first view comes Wednesday night with a tasting for special guests, followed by a bash Thursday night in the plaza outside the Ziff Ballet Opera House (Prelude is on the second floor.)

IT'S A WILD, WILD LIFE

Barton may have chilled out, but he wouldn't be Barton if he didn't throw in a few showstoppers:

``There may be a giraffe or two at the party Thursday. I just have to convince the Arsht it's OK for them to eat these trees. I'm not sure what the orangutan is going to wear yet. Something in a red coat,'' he says as he takes a couple of visitors around the plaza.

With two weeks to opening, Prelude didn't look like much. Saws, drills and hammers drowned out conversation. A couple of guys were painstakingly applying satiny Venetian plaster to walls. The mahogany chairs were still in Customs. And the light fixtures, which look like a sprouting of giant yellow daisies and were also designed by Barton, were still in China.

``I don't care if we have to work 24-7. The curtain will go up on time,'' says Barton, who started out in showbiz, making his collaboration with the Arsht a natural. Barton and the Arsht are splitting the cost of the restaurant's build-out, says Arsht Center President John Richard. And the center gets 10 percent of the restaurant's gross.

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