The Boston Globe du lieu suivant : Boston, Massachusetts • 36

UU 1Mb BUS1UIN ULUBfc MU1NUAI, rtOKUAKI 14, Strong cast but weak score in long-winded 'Gantry5 1 I 3 X' I i Rod Stewart looks, sounds good at start STEWART Continued from Page 34 Stewart had also just come off a knockout start to the show, firing out nine perfectly paced old favorites. When the curtain first rose, he was on a white stool, turning on a center riser, his motions a bit more animated than his vocals on "Hot Legs" and "Cut Across Shorty." But he brought emotional investment to "Reason to Believe" and "Handbags Gla-drags" (the first song to employ a sparely used 17-piece orchestra), before rocking out with "You Wear It "Every Picture Tells a Story." Rod the Mod was then in full swingromping around the edges of the squared stage, acting like a giddy jumping jack and swinging his microphone stand in high-flying arcs. He appeared to be in pretty good voice and pretty great spirits. "Spread your wings and let me come; inside," Stewart sang as he kissed one woman who gave him flowers during "Tonight's the Night," which was followed by a mandolin-laced "Maggie May" and his, Sam Cooke reprise "Haying a Party." All three were encore-strength singalongs with house lights jlluminating the crowd. But then, what was left on the menu? In one swoop, Stewart had virtually exhaused his early '70s rock GLOBE STAFF PHOTO PAT GREENHOUSE I 5 Garden.

Two additions to Stewart's set proved run-of-the-mill. He announced that his band was performing Buddy Holly's "Maybe Baby" for only the second time, and it sounded like it. And "Three Musketeers" soundtrack hit "All For Love" (with help from Stewart's backup singers) brought overbright peaks. "Have I Told You Lately," sung with video of Stewart's model wife Rachel Hunter and baby girl overhead, was a perfect touch on the eve of Valentine's Day. But the show was rounded out in perfunctory fashion, 5 Rod Stewart last night at the Boston ROD STEWART At: Boston Garden, last night At Worcester Centrum tonight hits, a necessary balance to the late '70s disco and '80s pop in his repe-toire.

The rest of the two-hour show became a hit-and-miss affair. Mellower favorites "Forever Young" and "Downtown Train" were acceptable changes of pace. But the chaotic dance-rock pulse of "Infatuation" (introduced with a blast from Boston guitarist Jeff Golub) was lost on the older crowd. i By Anthony Tommasini SPECIAL TO THE GLOBE Much praiseworthy dedication and talent have gone into "Elmer Gantry," the new opera by Robert Ooer3 Aldridge and Her-D schel Garfein. So KeVieW much, in fact, that the opera's shortcomings are all the more disappointing.

In some ways the heroes of the workshop production that opened on Friday are the Boston Lyric Opera and the Boston Music Theater Project at Suffolk University. Both have supported this opera through its various workshops and tryouts. Composers and librettists have few chances to learn the craft of opera. This opportunity to learn by doing is a gift. Garfein has fashioned an effective libretto from Sinclair Lewis' 1927 novel that follows the 20-year saga of a duplicitous evangelical minister.

And Garfein's stage direction is imaginative and striking. Where was Garfein when the Boston Lyric Opera was looking for someone to direct The impressive cast headed by James Maddalena in the title role, with Linda Maguire as Sister Falconer; Carl Halvorson as Gantry's cohort Frank Shallard; David Ripley as President Baines of the college that packs Gantry off to the seminary; Sharon Baker as the president's daughter; Frank Kelley as her husband, Eddie Fislinger; and Paul Kirby Ron Williams, Susan Trout, David J. Cangelosi and Wilbur Pauley in supporting roles -brought palpable commitment to this workshop production, which meant long hours and little pay. Cheers too for the audience that turned out on the worst night of a punishing winter. Clearly there are people here who want opera to have a healthy future as well as a glorious history.

The shortcoming of the work remains Robert Aldridge's score. Aldridge is the son of a North Carolina preacher and this story has captured his imagination. Perhaps too much so, for the work now runs well over ELMER GANTRY Music by Robert Aldridge; libretto by Herschel Garfein; directed by Herschel Garfein At: Suffolk University. (Final petfornia me tomorrow at 7) three hours and the music does support so massive a structure. The music has energy and color.

But the, materials are often derivative and insubstantial. Aldridge can turn out authentic-sounding gospel But the score is saturated with gos- pel and the effect gets There's Gantry's gospel Falconer's clap-and-shout and a visiting family from Tennessee who drops by to sing (what else?) gospel hymn. When a musical idea has originality, as in Fislinger's aria with its rhythmatized laughing liantly sung by Frank Kelley), theti, idea is prolonged ineffectively. Some of the materials are rather -'-pale. The dramatic recitative can turn rudimentary.

Sister Falconer's -entrance aria suggests Leonard Cohen might have for Judy Collins, spiked with force-fed wrong-notes. the music skirts melodrama: the rid scene (recylced Villa-Lobos), when Falconer reveals to Gantry her exotic private rites of worship. Aspects of this production were memorable. Maddalena found depth and complexity in Gantry, a role for which he is not physically suited. (This dapper middle-aged man does.

not cut it as a slick college football hero.) But Maddalena acts with voice; his singing was inch with acter. Garfein's direction, with synchronized comic touches, cap- tured the satirical quality the ators find in the novel. Pianist Scott Nicholas accompanied the perfor-1 mance heroically. Steven Lipsett -conducted with command. But in' some ways, Aldridge's music off better in the previous workshop- that presented only half the score.

"Elmer Gantry" was a stronger opr era when there was less of it. there are repertory operas of which a you could say the same. that Beatles plan Central Park reunion concert optimistic promoters" trying to per- suade the trio to perform. A California spokesman for the Lennon family, Elliot Mintz, told The Associated Press that the reported concert "is news to us." Plans for the concert came out of the three singers' recent reunion to record songs for a television documentary. Another London newspaper, The Independent, reported yesterday that previously unreleased Beatles tracks will be issued on compact disc next year.

The collection will include songs unavailable even to bootleggers, such as "Etcetera," an unreleased Art Garfunkel harmonizes with his past Beport denied ASSOCIATED PRESS YORK A London newspaper report that the three surviving Beetles are planning a concert in Cejitral Park is an "out and out lie," airajde to Paul McCartney said yes-terdayrA spokesman for John Len-non's family said he knew nothing about the concert either. Jeff Baker, McCartney's personal assistant, told ABC Radio News thatl'triere's not a shred of truth" to thkj-eport in The Mail yesterday. it rNow "Playing LOEWS COPLEY PLACE SHOWCASE CIRCLE CUV I LAND The newspaper said McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr would perform in Central Park later this year, and would be joined onstage by Lennon's sons, Julian and Sean. The newspaper did not identify its source. It said each of the former Beatles would be paid $30 million for the concert, which would be televised worldwide.

Baker told ABC that the report is an "out and out lie put around by My Girl Is just In time to le your Valentine! COLUMBIAIV PICTURESLL ocue fmjcs 1as CINEMAS LOEWS FRESH POND FRtSH POND MALL 661-2900 GENERAL CINEMA BRAINTREE 10 WHOIIfilO -Ml IT I 111 848-1070 LOEWS SOMERVILLE ol ASSfMILT SQ TI 93 628-7000 LOEWS DANVERS TE. 131- EXIT 34 777 MS5 StMIW MiHBHSBMfMijMMaBlM -dU SsJ llliir' 1111 mEMmmEmm "IT'S ESCAPIST FUH MH KOH-STOP tilted toward oldies like "Sweet Little Rock 'N Roller" (saved by ex-Faces mate Ian McLagan taking a turn on boogie-woogie piano), "My Girl" and "People Get Ready," which was overly slow, then taken to a bombastic peak by Golub and Cla rence Clemons-like saxman Jimmy Roberts. Female admirers hopped aboard the party train for encores "Twistin' the Night Away" and "Chain Gang." But after such a fiery opening, much of this night slipped into cruise control. Lennon-McCartney number that McCartney removed from the 1968 "White Album." It will feature the only McCartney-Harrison song ever recorded, a doo-wop style ballad, "In Spite of all the Danger," which the duo wrote and sang as teen-agers in 1958, and the Beatles minus Starr singing George Gershwin's "Summertime." Other highlights will include "If You Got Trouble," a Lennon-McCartney song from 1965 sung by Starr, and an unreleased Lennon-McCartney track called "Watching Rainbows" from the "Let It Be" sessions. UP!" CIRCLE ClIVILANO CIRCLS 566-4040 SHOWCASE CINEMAS GENERAL CINEMA PEABODY CAMBRIDGE BRATTLE THEATRE 876-6837 BONNIE AND CLYDE Beany.

FjyTj LWoy 4 00-7 45 GUN CRAZY' Valentine outlaws! CHELMSFORD RTE 3 CINEMAS-Jcl. Ries. 3 110 2564)611 BLANK CHECK (PG) MY GIRL II (PG) ACE VENTURA (PG 13) SCHINDLER LIST (R) 7:30 MY FATHER THE HERO (PG13) I'LL DO ANYTHING (PG13) PHILADELPHIA (PG 13) MRS. DOUBTFIRE (PG13) DEDHAM DEDHAM COMMUNITY PARKING 326-1463 Best Film ol ttie Year! THE PIANO 9:15 SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION 4 PELICAN BRIEF 6 45 BEETHOVEN 2ND 4 45 LEXIGTO! LEXINGTON FLICK 1 794 MASS. AVE.

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ITI. CI A SOUIII RD. ASSf MILT SO ITI 93 661-2900 326-4955 933-5330 286-1660 628-7000 GARFUNKEL Continued from Page 34 then let emotion and nostalgia pour out during a closing five-song love-fest of "Mrs. Robinson," the aching "Bridge Over Troubled Water," the soothing "April Come She Will," the hippie-dippy "Feelin' Groovy" and the transcendent "Sounds of Silence." That sparked a prolonged and fully earned standing ovation. "I feel so exposed singing these songs without a partner," Garfunkel said later in his dressing room.

"There's nowhere to hide. At the beginning of each show, I wonder, 'How am I going to get through this? How am I going to remember all these But then you go out and get such a warm reaction that it keeps you going. I could feel that this audience really wanted to hear those songs again." Indeed, they did. This audience was transfixed and Garfunkel, dressed casually in jeans, didn't dis- IVEHTO.X WEST NEWTON CINEMAS 1-6 1296 WASH. RTE.

16 964-6060 SHADOWLANDS 05 THE PIANO REMAINS OF THE DAY 6 DEGREES OF SEPARATION 1:504 SHORTCUTS Disney's BLANK CHECK 35-9 30 BEETHOVEN'S 2NO 15 Disney's IRON WILL 1:40 SHARON ENTERTAINMENT CINEMAS 1-6 784-9300 Route 95 Exit 8 TUES. IS BARGAIN DAY ALL SEATS $4 00 ALL DAYALL NIGHT BLANK CHECK (PG) 20 SCHINDLER LIST (R) ACE VENTUHA PET DETECTIVE (PGT3) 120fr2 4W45-72WH PHILADELPHIA (PG13) MRS DOUBTFIRE (PG13) 45 GRUMPY OLD MEN (PG13) 30 BEETHOVEN'S 2ND (PG) Sat. 8 Sun, only 12 SOMERVILLE SOMERVUE THEATRE .55 Davis Sq. (T) Rew 625-5700 AGE OF INNOCENCE (PG) all SPECIAL ENGAGEMENT NO PASSES OR DISCOUNT COUPONS ACCEPTED "LOADS OF LAUGHS AND PLENTY OF HEART." Bill Diehl, ABC RADIO NETWORK GERARD DEPARDIEU FatherHero WT-- LOEWS GENERAL CINEMA I GENERAL CINEMA 1 I GENERAL CINEMA I LOEWS COPLEY PLACE CHESTNUT HILL BRAINTREE 10 PEABODY FRESH POND INMTMMM MM m. at HAAUAOND ST.

0l KMIli 16 ITf 1 1M MHIMM IIMW CMFIR FRESH POND MAU '266-1300 77-3500 848-1070 599-1310 661-2900 LOEWS SHOWCASC CINEMAS (SHOWCASE CINEMAS 1 SHOWCASE CINEMAS 1 1 LOEWS NATICX DEDHAM WOBURN REVERE SOMERVILLE tOW HWfll! tlB m. I A 121 IXIT ISA IfL HI UIT IS 1 1 T1. CI A SOUItl IB. ASSiMBLT SO ITI il SMS ii; SMC 1 1 316-4955 I 933-5330 286-1660 II 628-7000 ART GARFUNKEL ART GARFUNKEL At: Symphony Hall last night as part of the Bank of Boston Celebrity Series. appoint He started slowly and touch awkwardly on "A Heart New York," then Sam "Wonderful World" (streamlining jt.

too much), followed by the bitter-, sweet "American Tune" and "Emotional Girl." Then the magic began. A resonant "Homeward Bound" led to the flowing, Renaissance-like tap- estry of "Scarborough Fair," then a -lilting segue into "Crying in the Rain" and two stirring "Cecilia" (with uplifting percussion from Richie Garcia) and the gently intimate "Kaths Song." The concert was set off by lush atmospheric lighting, occasional dry-, ice smoke (yes, even at Symphony Hall) and by a wondrous that included Eric Weisberg on guitar, banjo and mandolin (Weis' berg even reprised "Duelin' Banjos," which he wrote and recorded for the'' movie and skilled keyboardisfmusic director The backup singer was Gar-" funkel's wife, Kim, who stumbled on her sole lead vocal, but sang soulful-" ly otherwise. All in all, it felt like 'a' family affair. Credit goes to Garfuri- kel for making the night seem so ele- gant and down-hoiMe at the same time. I i I I iav.

ARLINGTON CAPITOL 204 MASS. AVE. 6484340 IRON WILL (PG) 30 JURASSIC PARK (PG13) BEETHOVEN'S 2nd (PG) REMAINS OF THE DAY (PG) PELICAN BRIEF (PG13) WTERSECTION (R) 35 5 30-7 30-9 30 LetrBnorvMatltiau' GRUMPY OLD MEN (PG13) aC OF WIOCENCE 420-7-940 Soaei Get nomratons' JOY LUCK CLUB (R) BELMO.Vr STUDIO 376TRAPEL0 RD. 484-1706 REMAINS OF THE DAY (PG) EAST BRIDGEWATER ENTERTAINMENT CINEMAS 6. At 18 (508) 378-3010 TUES IS BARGAIN DAY AU SEATS S4 00ALI DAYWK3HT BLANK CHECK (PG) 12 30-2 50-4 40-7 00-9 00 MY GIRL 2 (PG) ACE VENTURA PET DETECTIVE PG'3I 1230-2 20007 3030 MRS.

DOUBTFIRE (PG13) 12-2 30-4 45 PHILADELPHIA (PG13) 12-2 45 GRUMPY OLD MEN (PG13) 12 309 30 Starts Fri. 218 BLUE CHIPS' BROOKLIXE COOUDGE CORNER 1 4 2 734-2500 CELEBRATING THE BIG SCREEN' wFrak Avruch Reel Romance! LAURA 7:30 SEX FARAWAY, SO CLOSE! 35 SANKOFA Held Over! 4 45 ADDAMS FAMILY VALUES! 3:00 mvms TO PLACE AN AO IN THIS sk--, NO PASSES OR DISCOUNT COUPONS iNOW "PIAYING COPLEY PLACE LOEWS 266-1300 SHOWCASE CINEMAS REVERE Kiu't to. 786-1660 GENERAL CINEMA BRAINTREE 10 9H ictU.I! 1' 841070 NO PASSES OR DISCOUNT COUPONS -MFYOU LOVED 'HOME ALONE', 'YOU'LL LOVE 'BLANK -Joonna Longfield, THE MOVIE MINUTE I I 11 SMOWCASE DEDHAM 1 GENERAL FRAMINGHAM ttl SWWIS m-tm ACCEPTED FOrt THIS ENGAGEMENT ACCEPTED FOR THIS ENGAGEMENT 1 r. 1., ii CIMCMAS fu--- LOEWS SJJSsHsOMIRVIllE 11 CINEMA LOEWS 1 I LOEWS FRESH POND DANVERS 0Ll fliSW POttO MAU. Wit 17 EXIT 661-2900 m-if-i tmA'i 8 '''-yi''TiiliTflfl'iafiniiiiilfclliffi-'i .1 I PI niSSiw-' "I I I II 34 m-im niArs ofiTEnTAiriLiern DIRECTORY PLEASE CALL MARY DUNBAR AT (617) 923-2142 jn.