The San Francisco Examiner from San Francisco, California • 45

Friday, February 14, 1992 U-i anjrancbco jBcaminer DtnztlWask-IngtM as Demetrius has to deal with interracial prejudice in hi love for an East Indian woman in r3i iia r3i 3 2i liiNl L3 J) COMICS D-w ANN LANDERS p-19 WEATHER P-19 TV LISTINGS P-20 "a r3i 3 "Mississippi 1: V. THE WORLD ACCORDING TO 'WAYNE' Heavy metal, light touch By David Armstrong EXAMMER STAFF CfltTC JUST ANNOUNCED Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch, March 11, the Warfield (on sale Sunday). 510-762-BASS. Roxette, March 18, the Warfield (on sale Sunday). 510-762-BASS.

An Evening with Carlos Santana, March 17, San Jose State Event Center Arena (on sale Sunday). 510-762-BASS. Cramps, March 22, the Warfield (on sale Sunday). 510-762-BASS. Violent Femmes, April 2, Zellerbach Auditorium, UC-Berkeley (on sale Sunday).

510-762-BASS. "Artodante," SJ1. Opera Center Showcase, April 13, 15, 17, 18, Theater Artaud (on sale Tuesday). 415-864-3330. STILL AVAILABLE v.

(1 J' 3 Mike Myers, left, is Wayne, Dana Art i 'I AMERICA, where hyperbole is the coin of the realm, nothing succeeds like excess. The charm of "Wayne's World," the movie spinoff of the popular and funny "Saturday Night Live" skits of the same name, is its know ing and affectionate parody of heavy-metal excess, as practiced by 20-ish rockers in suburban Middle America. The bodacious Wayne (Mike Myers, who co-authored the script) and his shy sidekick. Garth (Dana Carvey), are typical headbangers, except for one thing: They produce a cable TV show from Wayne's basement It airs on the public access channel, of course, and centers on the guys' hyperactive fantasy lives which in turn center on "babes," guitars, cars and dreams of rock roll heaven. Myers and Carvey have the headbanger's party-till-you-puke attitude, strutting body language, and verbal one-upmanship down cold.

But the macho stuff is mostly an act; they're Lonely Guys, and they're looking for "the Robo-babe" of their dreams. Wayne lusts for Cassandra (Tia Carre re), the lissome lead singer for a heavy-metal band. But he must compete for her charms with yuppie scum Benjamin Oliver, played to smirking perfection by Rob Lowe. Benjamin, a cynical and rich TV producer, lures the guys away from public access by ing them big bucks and then tries to take over their show. "Wayne's World," produced by "SNL's" Lome Michaels under the aegis of former NBC boss Brandon Tartikoff, is one of several TV spinoffs Addams Family" is another) to migrate to Tartikoff new Paramount Pictures.

As with other properties that originated on the small screen, See WAYNE, D-6) 'Wayne's World' CAST: Mike Myers, Dana Carvey, Rob Lowe DIRECTOR: Penelope Spheeris WRITERS: Myers, Bonnie Turner, Terry Turner RATED: PG-13 THEATERS: Cinema 21. Plaza, Geneva Drive-In EVALUATION: 54 in the parody "Wayne's World Another Tomasson winner Carvey plays his sidekick Garth and the ling music of which most members of the audience can hum the next bar. So, this is scarcely an original concept And there have been earlier four-seasons ballets, the most prominent of which is Jerome Robbins' send-up number to a different source, the ballet music from Verdi's "Les Vepres Siciliennes." Tomasson has, however, gone in his own direction, drawing inspiration from the music. He has heeded, also, the four poems with which But at all times, it leans on our knowledge of the score. "Le Quattro Stagioni" looks smashing.

Designer Santo Loquasto has fashioned a projection of Italian pines, added a curtain, small ramp and wicker chair, and he has garbed the cast in evocative, turn-of-the-cen-tury, pastel-hued costumes, which frequently trail a ribbon too many. The ever-masterful Jennifer Tipton has contributed another of her softly metamorphosing lighting See BALLET, D-8 John Mellencamp, Sunday at 8 p.m., Oakland Coliseum. 510-762-BASS. The Rippingtons, with David Be-noit and Tom Scott, Friday at 8 p.m., Circle Star Center, 1717 Industrial Road, San Carlos. 415-366-7100.

Max Morath, Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts. 415-903-6000. Beta Fleck and the Flecktones, Saturday at 8 p.m., Palace of Fine Arts Theatre. 415-392-4400 or 510-762-BASS. Albert Collins and the Icebreakers, Saturday at 8 and 11p.m., Slim's, 333 11th St 415-621-3330 or 415-762-BASS.

Johnny Mathis, Thursday and Friday at 8 p.m., Flint Center, Cupertino. 510-762-2277 or 408-864-8816. 1992 World Figure Skating Championships, March 25-29, Oakland Coliseum. 510-762-BASS. CANCELED Weslia Whitfield, Saturday, Rheem Theater, Moraga.

The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber, with Michael Crawford, originally March 3-8, has added March 10-15 dates (March 10-15 tickets on sale Sunday). 510-762-BASS. 1 Dizzy Gillespie starts his Diamond Jubilee Tour Tuesday at Kimball's East (PageD-14) INDEX Art D-2 Comedy D-7 Dance D-8 EventsFairs D-6 KWsD-12 Movies D-3 Museum D-2 Music D-14 Outdoors D-14 Radio D-21 Records D-13 Restaurants D-10 ToMsIm D-13 Theater D-9 lii km I- JL I i.i-.,.,. lady in the photo is Claudia Schiffer Vivaldi prefaced the concertos in the score. From those sources, he has fashioned his most subtly nuanced work, a panorama of fleeting relationships that seem destined to expire before the next flip of the calendar, but are no less cherishable for their transitory quality.

"Le Quattro Stagioni" deceives us. Sometimes, it relishes using the music like a straitjacket At other moments, it departs from the bar-line in astonishing ways. Chinese legend (he could change form 72 ways and cover thousands of miles in a single somersault), was eventually chastised for his mischievousness by the Buddhist goddess Kwan Yin. She dispatched him to India to fetch a copy of some sacred scriptures. The experience reformed the Monkey King, and he was canonized and named "Great Sage Equal to Heaven." Old Chinatown hands predict the exuberance of this year's fete will set the tone for a Chinese lunar year (4690) of progress and optimism.

Local oracles predict inventions and discoveries will abound. "It's not a year for the weak-of-heart and the dumb," says 75-year-old Willie Tsang, who used to read faces for a living. The United States, he adds, was founded in 1776 a monkey year. The parade will reflect much of Monkey see, monkey due By Allan Ulrich EXAMNER DANCE CflfTIC HELGI TOMASSON, the choreographer who savored the depths of romantic introspection several years ago in "Intimate Voices," is the same Helgi Tomasson who plumbed familiar 18th century music for its kinetic wit three years later in "Handel A Celebration." Sooner or later, the two had to meet. Both Helgi Tomassons have fused sensibilities in "Le Quattro Stagioni," an ambitiously con ceived, splendidly fluid, gorgeously appointed and occasionally conventional new work.

It crowned the opening of the San Francisco Ballet's second program of the 1992 season at the Opera House Thursday evening. The program will next be repeated Saturday at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Artistic director Tomasson rounded up dozens of his most striking dancers for the project. And he called on several other company stalwarts for the remainder of the program, which includes revivals of two August Bournon- ville sweetmeats the divertisse ments from Act III of "Napoli" and the pas de deux from "Flower Festival at Genzano" and David Bintles "The Sons of Horus." The Bournonville excerpts stood alone and frequently radiat ed pure sunlight.

The shadowy quasi-narrative and suggestive encounters of the Bintley and To masson proposed curiously varied attitudes toward classicism. At 45 minutes, "Le Quattro Sta gioni" Four is To-masson's longest piece in a semi-abstract vein. The four Vivaldi violin concertos that constitute the first portion of the composer's "Test of Harmony and Invention," Op. 8, seem so much a part of our consciousness that you have to admire Tomassoo'sfxurage in tack-. mil ii ii ill ii i Jii nil in i hAV Cum Lung, the Golden Dragon, will breathe a littfo-fire along the route.

i Chinese New Year activities take to the streets ByAlMorch OF TtC EXAMMER STAFF THE CROWDS may go bananas at Saturday's Chinese New Year's parade. After alL it's the Year of the Monkey. A crowd of 500,000 is expected rain or shine to line the streets from Second and Market, up Stockton to Post streets, then up Kearny to Columbus Avenue for the annual parade that begins at 6 p.m. The event's theme is education and literacy, which is in keeping with this special simian's abilities. Sun Hou-tze, the wily and play ful white-furred Monkey King of SefffEW YEAR, D-7 i.