PERFORMING ARTS

-- Pamela Squires

NSO Pops

Helped by some visitors from a galaxy far, far away, the National Symphony Orchestra brought film composer John Williams's music to vivid life Friday evening at the Kennedy Center Concert Hall.

The NSO Pops, under guest conductor Erich Kunzel, interspersed humor and reverence in its presentation of classic Williams movie themes. Performing music that was by turns majestic, romantic and dramatic, the orchestra lured "Jaws" up the Potomac River and tempted the Tyrannosaurus rex from "Jurassic Park" to snack on the cello section.

Some of the film-score excerpts -- including "E.T., the Extra-Terrestrial," "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" and "Superman" -- sounded as if they had been ripped directly from the silver screen, while others were presented in a fresh way. The latter group included a spiced and nuanced rendition of "The Raiders' March" from "Raiders of the Lost Ark" and a warmly elegant delivery of the moving main theme from "Schindler's List," featuring associate concertmaster Elisabeth Adkins on the violin solo.

For "Star Wars" fans, the best part of the concert arrived after intermission, when costume-clad members of Masters of the Force reenacted scenes from the films onstage while the NSO and the Woodley Ensemble choristers produced the respective music with operatic power. During "The Imperial March," an impressive entourage of Stormtroopers preceded Darth Vader across the stage; and in "Duel of the Fates" and "Battle of the Heroes," the showdowns between Darth Maul and a Jedi and Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi unfolded with well-choreographed light-saber duels.

-- Grace Jean

Leroy Thomas and the Zydeco Roadrunners

The promoter billed Friday night's show at Chick Hall's Surf Club as the last zydeco gig at this soon-to-be-sold honky-tonk. Although it now looks like this 52-year-old Bladensburg joint might hang on longer (with Leroy Thomas scheduled to return Nov. 9), the impending sale still lent an end-of-an-era tinge to an otherwise joyful event. Not commenting on the state of the club, Thomas and his Zydeco Roadrunners kept couples twirling, smiling and sweating through two sets' worth of traditional Louisiana and Texas Creole sounds -- mostly speedy, distinctively syncopated numbers, but also some waltzes, country and soul.

Thomas, the Louisiana-raised son of zydeco drummer Leo Thomas, has a friendly voice, a non-flashy approach to accordion playing and just enough charisma to get dancers to peek up at him. A cowboy hat-wearing fan of 1950s and early '60s musical Americana, the Houston resident gleefully invoked the past with the lighthearted, adult nursery-rhyme lyrics of "The Monkey and the Baboon" and "Zydeco Cha-cha." He also reached back for the Everly Brothers' "When Will I Be Loved?," Hank Williams's "Your Cheatin' Heart" and Ray Charles's "What'd I Say."

Thomas's band helped keep the retro approach from feeling dated. His bassist and drummer frequently kept the notes funky, while his guitarist added catchy lines without utilizing bar band cliches. For this tour, Thomas employed local rub board players, who added unique metal percussion accents. Although such songs as his own "Don't Get Mad at Me" and his take on his father's "Why You Want to Make Me Cry?" might not be breaking new ground, Thomas mixes the old and the new well enough to keep a dance floor lively to the late hours.

-- Steve Kiviat