Mötley Crüe

Finally, it was upon us: a musical black hole from which no life could escape. There would be no averting its cold stare, no running for cover. This was the real deal—apocalypse, as the seers would have put it.

As a recent VH1 special revealed, the big reunion of needlessly umlauted ’80s hard-rock juggernaut Mötley Crüe isn’t just the same old story—you know, ex-bandmates bump into each other at a pub and decide to “give it another go” for “old times’ sake,” la dee da. This is far less heartwarming. The reanimation of the Crüe’s bloated, diseased corpse was a management decision. We’ll let that sink in for a moment. . . . Certain members of the Worst Band Ever (as scientifically calculated by one J. Eric Smith) hadn’t spoken to each other for more than two years when their management team began booking shows for a reunion tour. Now that’s entertainment. Somehow the guys found time in between their various reality-TV schedules to “give it another go” and the results have been pröfitable, to say the least. They’ve even claimed to be working on new material, which should be just great. Really.

Mötley Crüe will bring their Carnival of Sin tour to the Saratoga Performing Arts Center (Saratoga Spa State Park, Route 9, Saratoga Springs) this Saturday (Sept. 3). Tickets for the 8 PM show range from $20 (lawn) to $75 and can be purchased at the SPÄC box office or by calling 476-1000.

Speaking of carnivals, the after-concert sïdeshows should keep you hard at rock well into the wee hours. Crüe devotees the Erotics will bring the rock to King’s Tavern (241 Union Ave., Saratoga Springs, 581-7090). Doors open at 9 PM; tickets are $7, or $5 with a ticket stub from the big show. A few exits down the Northway, catch a double dose of hömage with Mötley tribute band Theater of Pain and Guns N’ Roses doppelganger Appetite for Destruction at Northern Lights (1208 Route 146, Clifton Park, 371-0012). That show kicks off at 10 PM; call the club for prices.

Medea in Jerusalem

In Medea in Jerusalem, Roger Kirby’s recent take on the ancient Greek play by Euripides, Medea is a modern Palestinian woman married to a Jewish man. To say that this cross-culture coupling is thorny is to understate wildly; given the source material, you can be sure that this is no Nora Ephron-esque frolic through romantic struggle.

In Euripides’ version—itself an interpretation of a longstanding myth—the sorceress Medea aids the hero, and her lover, Jason in his quest for the Golden Fleece. When Jason abandons her for another woman, however, Medea punishes him with a shocking bloody vengeance. In Kirby’s adaptation, Jason leaves his Arab wife for a woman of his own faith and the modern Medea’s revenge is no less brutal—though it has a political edge designed to hit closer to home for today’s audiences than a 2,500 year-old myth. (On that note, it should be mentioned that the play contains mature subject matter and partial nudity. So, this should probably not serve as junior’s introduction to the classics.)

Medea in Jerusalem begins with a 7:30 PM pay-what-you-will preview on Tuesday (Sept. 6). On opening night, Wednesday (Sept. 7), classical guitarist John Charles Cook will provide pre-show entertainment, and there will be a champagne reception with the cast after the show. Medea in Jerusalem runs through Sept. 17. For more information, call 445-7469.