ARTS Friday, December 9, 1983 The MichiganDaily Page 5 Records Last year, I went bonkers over an EP by a fellow named Kimberly Rew called The Bible of Bop. Rew used to be in the Soft Boys, a semi-important, early psychedelia revival band that has garnered more praise and attention since disbanding than during its heyday, which wasn't much of a hey, even in native England. Nonetheless, on Bop, Rew was backed up by the dB's on three tracks, the Soft Boys on three, and the Waves on two. All cuts were ab- solutely primo. Now Kim is back with Shock Horror!, another eight-song EP, but this time credited to the Waves en masse. Either he's adding fuel to the fire, or Rew's allotted himself full-time membership as a Wave. These Waves aren't new, which, in it- self, is a blessing. Curiously refreshing might be a better way of describing the music here, like the feeling you get when it's real hot outside, and the thing you want to do most is dive inthe cool, calming ocean. The Waves' music can be founded on cheap blues ("Atomic rock 'n' roll," "I caught the milk train (she took the Deux Chavaux)"), easy. ballads ("Riding my bike"), pop travelogues ("Going down to Liver- pool"), or breakneck boppers ("You can't stand next to Judie," "Saturday Week") - all work exceedingly well - or rather, they sound great. The players are pretty keen, but Af- termath did not bless us with any in- formation on who they are, aside from chintzy black and white portraits on the back. All I can say for sure is that Rew's singing is top-notch; what with him hitting those unbelieveably high notes with such relative ease, his tunes (all eight penned by himself) are boffo, and as a guitarist, he's no master of flash, but skilled - yeah! And Shock Horror's worth it for the garrish, primitive cover design, if not the newspaper headlines on the reverse. Small labels rule! (Import - no adress available.) - Larry Dean 1983 Soph Show GODSPELL December 8th and 1 0th -at 8:00 p.m. December 9th at 10:00 p.m. Mendelssohn Theater TICKETS are $5.00 and are available at the Michigan Union Ticket Office and at the door Enchanter weaves spell over helpless toys during the Power Center's Production of The Nutcracker Suite. ' The spirit of Christmas By Cheryl Baacke For ballet lovers, Christmas means e Nutcracker, and for Ann Arbor. the Nutcracker means The Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre. The company is performing in Ann Arbor for the eighth time, promising to makl the holiday tradition delightful for those who can't imagine .a Christ- mas without the Sugar Plum Fairy as well as for those who don't know the Mouse King from the Nutcracker Prin- ce. Children will dance in lead and sup- rting roles for the first time in the company's history. The two lead parts, Mary and tle Nutcracker will be filled by a brother/sister team from Pit- tibu~glh Amy (10) and Paul (13) Galds _- _ About 58 Ann Arbor children are part of the ballet and will dance with the 28 adult members of the Pittsburgh Ballot. Anbther first for the company is the use of choreography by George Ballan- chine, formerly of the New York City Ballet. His version is much lighter, more technically brilliant, and easier to un- derstand and enjoy. Like most good art, it is very simple on the surface, and more complex underneath, said Joan Stewart from the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre. The Balanchine choreography is the best of all renditions, said Stewart. "It's the most modern version. The set- ting is the same, but the feeling is very much alive today," she said. The Nutcracker is a ballet everyone can enjoy because it is not abstract, but follows a story line. The Christmas par- ty, the gifts from Herr Drosselmeyer, and the dream of enchanted lands is reminiscent of everyone's own Christ- mas memories. On Christmas Eve, a family throws a party and a toymaker, Herr Drosselmeyer, brings gifts for the, children. Mary is especially pleased with her gift of a nutcracker soldier. Herr Drosselmeyer's mysterious magic enchants Mary, who dreams of a journey with her Nutcracker Prince. She has visions of flowers, snowflakes, and candy canes which dance to the music of Peter Tchaikov- sky's suite. The work is based on a fairy tale writ- ten by E.T.A. Hoffman, and was first performed in 1892. Patricia Wilde is the artistic director of the ballet. Wilde learned her choreography from Balanchine when she was the principal ballerina at the New York City Ballet. Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre's Nut- cracker was set by Robert Barnet who also danced under Balanchine. Although the costumes, the dancers, and the score are all different from last year, the tradition of the favorite holiday ballet will continue December 16, 17, and 18 in the Power Center. A limited number of tickets is still available at Burton Tower: $810, balcony and $10-12 main floor. Showtimes are 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday with a 2 p.m. matinee Satur- day and Sunday. The American Coll is aliveand well and living in Paris For information, please write: Liz Schiff U.S. Representative American College in Paris 222 East 83rd St. New York, N.Y. 10028 indicate your interest in the academic year and/or summer session. loge you could be, too... . summer session, . one semester, " one year, study abroad options within the American College in Paris . BA andSS j degree programs. Dancer warms-up for The Nutcracker Suite. h~lidav gift v. } - I- tS'83 rk ir 9( caj .;( i t 10 J!' ]r t( ( i h '( U S() ) It 161 hOl)i(lUj (i i I( ~c tl tti K 1t7c ~U T ~ f'~UW~ FW~'~*..~- -.