The Boston Globe from Boston, Massachusetts • 12

12 'Act of Terror' A new book examines the harrowing conflicts faced by Afrikaners who rebel. Page 16. THE BOSTON GLOBE SATURDAY, MARCH 14, 1992 Dance Review nwnrnW Jzil 7 Uu LIq) As 'On the Edge' unfolds, Suarez shows star quality i By Christine Temin GLOBE STAFF 11 li GLOBE PHOTO PAM BERRY U2's Bono stirs the crowd at the Worcester Centrum last night. On the second night of its ambitious "On the Edge" festival of modern dance works, Boston Ballet offered a 1990s hesitant evocation of the '60s, and a 1980s work that perfectly captured the spirit of its own time. The former, Bebe Miller's new "Paisley Sky," was an oddly muted blur, while the latter, Elisa Monte's 1985 "VII for VIII," was completely clear in gesture and intent The oldest work in "On the Edge," Monte's piece is, of the five works we've seen so far, also the strongest.

"Paisley Sky" is set to music by the Jimi Hen-drix Experience and costumed in bell-bottoms and fringed vests, but nonetheless came across almost as contemplative. The taped score wasn't turned up loud. There were no psychedelic lights. The dancers looked almost waif-like on the cavernous Wang Center stage, silhouetted against an endless black background. Julie Bacon, a gaunt blond Twiggy type remember Twiggy? was the lone figure onstage as the dance began and ended.

Slithering and reaching into the distance, she set a lost, questioning tone. The work never arrived at any answers. Miller often placed clusters of dancers at various points on the stage, and this lack of a physical focal point seemed to stand for a philosophical lack of focus. Perhaps. It wasn't easy to tell what "Paisley Sky" stood for whether those staggering, zonked, presumably drugged dancers were meant as an indictment, explanation, exploration or simple statement of fact The clenched fists and pulsing pelvises were cliches the dancers never got beyond "Hair" revisited.

It wasn't clear why Miller needed ballet dancers, either. "Paisley Sky" didn't make use of their specialized technique, and might have been better performed by dancers who were less peas-in-a-pod, more blazing individuals. There was blazing aplenty in "VII for VIII," DANCE, Page 14 Music Review liiil liiii 1 U2 celebrates its contradictions invasion begins 1 By Steve Morse GLOBE STAFF i I Long hours and long distances are all in a day's work for loyal fans By Diego Ribadeneira GLOBE STAFF and Tracy Johnson CONTRIBUTING REPORTER WORCESTER U2 had much to cele" brate last night. They steamed into the Centrum the first arena they ever played 'J'5 in America, back in 1983 when the top tick'efj' cost $13 and received a backstage plaque last night to mark the occasion. And not only was last night their first Bay State show in five years, it was bassist Adam Clayton's birthday.

He was given a "happy1 birthday" serenade by lead singer Bono, joined by 14,000 fans. As if that weren't enough, a skimpily clad woman in bunny in) ears, hired as a prank, came out and pre-' 1 sented Clayton with colored balloons and a pink feather boa. "Hi, I'm Hugh Hefner," Bono said to her, as he held aloft a bottle of champagne, 'i: then hugged Clayton warmly. Serious U2 fans might have been ap- palled, but the band is surely having more J'Kf MUSIC. Page 18 nylons with her sole compensation being a $10 meal stipend? All this simply for a chance, not a guarantee, to see the hottest show of the year.

But it worked. At about 2:45 p.m. yesterday, nearly nine hours after arriving at the Centrum here for her second straight day of waiting, Plitnick was allowed inside the box office to purchase a pair of $25 tickets. "I don't even know who they are," said Plitnick, who lives in Whitinsville, a small town near Rhode Island. She began her ticket vigil Thursday morning at about 6, with her only break coming at the end of the day when she went home to rest for another day of waiting.

TJ2, Page 18 ORCESTER She's not necessarily the oldest U2 groupie, but one thing's reasonably certain: Cheryl Plitnick, 46, must be a pretty big fan of her nieces. What else could explain Plitnick's willingness to en dure 21 hours of subfreezing weather, standing in line wearing a worn pair of sandals and a thin pair of 4 1 fa J. 'The Tales of Hohmann' opens at the Emerson VZ By Richard Dyer GLOBE STAFF a stories of Hoffmann's three loves and point the dubious moral, that art is best created at a remove from life. Hoffmann's Muse becomes a central character; she sings music that reappears in inspiring apotheosis at the end. Disguised as Hoffmann's companion, Nicklausse, the Muse has important clarifying and beautiful new music in every act.

The story of the courtesan Giulietta now has shape and continuity, and the heroine has enough music to establish a character, although she still lacks a convincing musical climax. All of this makes for a long evening "Hoffmann" ended at 11:40. Offenbach had an acute sense of theatrical timing and knowledge of audience response, and if he had lived through the rehearsal period for the Continued on next page "The Tales of Hoffmann" is probably the most important production in the history of the Boston Lyric Opera, and perhaps the best. It represented the first performance of the completed critical edition of Dnora Roviow opera Michael Kaye, which brings us as Upcia tieVieW ciose anyone can come today to what Offenbach intended. Thanks to the discovery of many pages of manuscript, and to Kaye's scholarship, imagination and taste, the opera makes more musical and dramatic sense than it ever did before.

The changes are most evident in the prologue and epilogue that frame the V. GLOBE STAFF PHOTO TOM HERDE Karen Scalzttti (left) and Julie Bacon In "Paisley Sky." ii fV: Sunday It's time to celebrate spring and St. Patrick's Day, too By Bruce McCabe GLOBE STAFF arly and late bloomers can spring into spring with the New England Spring Flower Show at the Bayside Expo Cen-J ter in Dorchester, i rfl Flower societies and THE Movie Section Directors Julie Dash 1 and Jan Oxenberg talk about how they filmed two very different family stories THE 1 Book Section "Life Itself," Roger I Rosenblatt's essay on the abortion debate, plus A. B. Yehoshua, I Graham Swift and John Patrick Diggins American rain forest, complete with rain, thunder and lightning.

Hours are 10 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Tickets are $10, children 6-12 are $3, under 6, free; parking fee charged. Call 536-9280. Tomorrow there's the St Patrick's Day Parade, a a the Evacuation Day parade.

There will be politicians, bands and marching units, hot necessarily in order of importance. The event steps off at 1 p.m. at the Broadway MBTA Station, follows Broadway to East Fourth, Fifth, East Fourth and streets, through Thomas Park to Telegraph and Dorchester streets to its conclusion at Andrew Square. Call 725-4428. In the same vogue, The Chieftains, Ireland's leading folk band, will be in WEEKEND, Page 17 garden shops display flowers, plants and natural dioramas at the Massachusetts Horticultural Society's annual show, opening today at 10 a.m.

and running through next Sunday, March 22. A highlight Weekend of the show is a exhibit in which visitors can the lush, exotic flora of a South Members of the "Wizard of Oz" production by ActTunes Youth Theater of Concord..