At the curtain call, the stage that is Harvard Square has played host to many entrances and exits this year.

Both renovations and the more mundane concern of leases have made this year's alterations into both a tragedy and a revival. From renovations that gave the Square a facelift at center stage, to upsets in the wings, next year's playbill will read quite differently from last September's.

Chief in the drama were the renovations of Read Block, home to Cambridge Savings Bank (CSB). The renovations aimed to restore the outside of the building to the way that it looked originally, in 1896.

Since purchasing the building in 1994, CSB has been interested in renovations because the building showed signs of extensive deterioration. To make sure the multi-million dollar renovations preserved the building's intended exterior, CSB consulted the Cambridge Historical Commission and historical experts. The building has been reproduced with the exact colors as the original, and every exterior detail is exactly the same as when it first opened.

During the summer of 1999, the block will become fully occupied. The renovated building will house an Abercrombie and Fitch, Pacific Sunwear and Finagle-A-Bagel.

While these tourist friendly shops have made a dramatic entrance, other student-friendly spots suffered in the action. Scoops and Beans, a popular ice cream joint at 54 JFK St., closed last August.

Scoops and Beans, which rivaled Herrell's among the student set, closed because it could no longer afford to pay the rent. The ice cream shop earned its popularity because of its many flavors of Christina's ice cream and larger seating area.

Rising rents were the major player in the closing of Scoops and Beans and other small businesses. The higher prices partly result from the abolition of rent control in the Square about two years ago.

"Some of those stores signed a 20-year lease, and when that lease comes to terms, some of the owners can't afford to renew it. I think it's unfortunate," said Donez Cardullo of Cardullo's International Foods Market in Harvard Square.

Many restaurant owners in particular say that it is difficult to maintain a business in Harvard Square because of the diversity of customers.

There are many tourists, students, and professionals who comprise the consumer population of Harvard Square, and they all have changing tastes, according to Sue Kuelzer, the co-owner of Grendel's, a restaurant which has inhabited the Square for many years.

"It takes constant attention by the owners," she says. "Somebody has to be there all the time and make sure it's keeping up with what styles are and what tastes are."

Another establishment that has left the square was the Sony-Loews Janus cinema, which went out of business in October.

The theater had one screen, and had been open since 1975. The theater likely closed because of competition with other large Square theaters, such as the five-screen Sony Loews on Church Street. The theater's lease expired, and the owners decided not to renew it.

Delhi Darbar, a Holyoke Street eatery popular among students, closed on November 15 because of a lack of business. Another risky venture, a Tibetan restaurant, has since taken its place.