The Record from Hackensack, New Jersey • 21

1992 ARTS ENTERTAINMENT THE RECORD B-7 TUESDAY. APRIL 28, Morrison's eyes were smiling CONCERT REVIEW VAN MORRISON: At The Paramount In Manhattan. 8unday and Monday. artist has heard his share of dmparaging remarks. And because he follows his own muse, refusing to bow to musical trends or conventions, he's often seen his career written off.

But his generous two-hour performance, which had him moving effortlessly from raucous stomps to gripping poetic meditations, from jazz-inflected ruminations to raucous rock-and-roll, was proof that reports such as these are way off the mark. Morrison's voice was the concert's linchpin. He can shift from a vicious growl to a tender whisper without missing a beat. And the excellent six-member band followed Morrison through every twist and turn of his remarkable vocal journey. What sets Morrison apart from similar vocalists, however, is that his passion is directed inward.

Morrison loses himself totally in the music. And on a night such as this one, he graciously allows his fans to enter his reverie. By Barbara Jaeger Record Music Critic Another myth has been shattered. Van Morrison does have a sense of humor. For years, the perpetual scowl on the Belfast-born singer-songwriter gave credence to the perception of Morrison as a dour individual.

That image, however, was washed away during Morrison's sold-out concert Sunday evening at The Paramount. Not only did Morrison seem to be enjoying himself as he plowed through his extensive songbook, revitalizing tunes from both his past "Moon-dance," "Into the and present Must I Always Explain," "I'm Not Feeling It Anymore," "Professional But one song, in particular, showed that beneath Morrison's glum exterior lurks a humorous man, one who isn't above poking fun at himself. When Morrison announced he was going to do "something different," you probably could have gotten million-to- one odds against the Stephen Sondheim war horse "Send in the Clowns." But that's the ballad he chose to conclude his penultimate encore. And his interpretation, tongue planted firmly in cheek, was a show-stopper. One could only smile as Morrison melodramatically worked the lyrics.

Stopping and walking partially offstage after singing "losing my timing this late Morrison made an about-face and ambled back to the mike to conclude "in my career." That one line and the way it was presented served as fitting commentary on Morrison's career, one that has lasted more than 25 years. Making music that traverses extremely personal and spiritual terrain, the 46-year-old Into the mirthful: Van Morrison clowned a bit during his show at The Paramount. 'Jelly' tops the Drama Desk list 5 pagesminute, 28 internal fonts, and a 200 sheet multi-purpose cassette for PatttXirmir. dnpR it avain! The KX-P4410 Laser Partner laser printer sets the new standard in personal laser printing by offering you all of this, plus: Optional second 200 sheet multipurpose (envelope, tetter, legal) cassette. Power saving "sleep" mode.

Copy verify, allows you to check the But those not selected included Jessica Lange, Alec Baldwin, Gene Hackman, Richard Dreyfuss, Judd Hirsch, Alan Alda, Ben Gazzara, Ellen Burstyn, and Joan Collins. The other best-actress nominees were Jane Alexander Laura Esterman and Deborah Hed-wall Selected for best actor in a play were F. Murray Abraham Life in the Brian Bedford Shakespearean Dennis Boutsikaris James McDaniel It Hits and Brian Murray Small Family In addition to Hines, nominees for actor in a musical were Peter Gallagher and Nathan Lane (both "Guys and and Spiro Ma-Ias (Broadway production of "The Most Happy Selected for actress in a musical were Sophie Hayden (Broadway production of "The Most Happy Donna Murphy of and Faith Prince and The Drama Desk is an organization of critics and other journalists who cover New York theater. The winners will be announced May 11, and the awards presented May 17. comedy about two emotionally estranged couples; Caryl Churchill's "Mad Forest," a drama about the overthrow of totalitarianism in Rumania; and Scott McPherson's "Marvin's Room," about a dying woman's relationship with her family.

The Broadway productions were Brian Friel's Irish memory play, "Dancing at Lugh-nasa," and Englishman Alan Ayckbourn's black comedy "A Small Family Business." The musical nominees, both on Broadway, were "Crazy for You" and "Jelly's Last Jam." The nominees for best revival included two versions of Frank Loesser's "The Most Happy Fella," the current Broadway production and one presented earlier this season by the New York City Opera. Other nominees were "Guys and Dolls," "'Tis Pity She's a Whore," and William Finn's musical "Falsettos." Notable by their absence from the performing categories were almost all the movie and TV stars who appeared on Broadway this season. Glenn Close was nominated as best actress in a play for "Death and the Maiden," and Gregory Hines as best actor in a musical for "Jelly's Last Jam." By Robert Feldberg Record Drama Critic "Jelly's Last Jam," a musical based on the life of jazz legend Jelly Roll Morton, led the list of Drama Desk Award nominees for the 1991-92 New York theater season with 11 nominations. A revival of Frank Loesser's musical "Guys and Dolls" had 10, and "Crazy For You," a musical that uses songs by George and Ira Gershwin, had eight. The leading non-musical, with six nominations, was a revival by the New York Shakespeare Festival of Tis Pity She's a Whore," John Ford's 17th-century revenge drama.

Among new plays, the most nominations, five, went to Donald Margulies' "Sight Unseen," an off-Broadway drama about a conflicted contemporary artist. The nominations, which were announced Monday, reflected the season's bumper crop of plays and scarcity of new musicals. There were six best-play nominees, four of them off-Broadway productions, and only two best-musical selections. In addition to "Sight Unseen," the off-Broadway plays were Terrence McNally's "Lips Together, Teeth Apart," a dark first of multiple copies to save paper. HP LaserJet Series IIP emulation.

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