The Virginian-Pilot
                            THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT  
              Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Friday, January 6, 1995                TAG: 9501050156
SECTION: DAILY BREAK              PAGE: E3   EDITION: FINAL 
                                             LENGTH: Medium:   56 lines

PREVIEW

WEEKEND

LATIN AMERICAN street theater meets commedia dell'arte at Norfolk's Generic Theater. ``The Liar,'' the 1750 comedy by Carlo Goldoni, has been given a contemporary Latin twist by director Jerry Pope: All the stock commedia characters, from Harlequin to Pantalone, have Spanish names; and scary men in guerrilla fatigues usher guests into the theater, where they watch the set assemble and the players get made up before their eyes.

``The Liar'' continues tonight and Saturday at 8 p.m., and 2 p.m. Sunday; through Jan. 29. Tickets are $8-$10, with a pay-what-you-can performance Wednesday. The theater is at 912 W. 21st St., Norfolk. Call 441-2160.

- Teresa Annas

SUNDAY

SOME OF OUR brightest stars can count on composer Gary Rosen being in their corner. He's written songs for Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch, and not long ago stepped out to record his own album, ``Tot Rock.'' Now, Rosen is going around singing about it - which brings him to the Jewish Community Center of Tidewater Sunday at 4 p.m. The afternoon promises a wide range of styles for kids of all sizes. Tickets are $7 and $5. The JCCT is at 7300 Newport Ave., Norfolk. Call 489-1371 for reservations.

- Craig Shapiro

WEDNESDAY

YOU DIDN'T THINK the spanking Arnold Schwarzenegger got for ``Last Action Hero'' would keep him out of action? He just regrouped, hooked up with director James Cameron (``The Terminator,'' ``T-2'') and raked in the mega-bucks with ``True Lies.'' The movie, due out on video Wednesday, casts Ah-nuld as a top-top secret spy masquerading as a computer salesman. Even his wife, played by Jamie Lee Curtis, doesn't know. That is, until terrorists force them into a fight for their marriage and their lives.

- Craig Shapiro

TONIGHT

SUSAN SARANDON is fast emerging as the Movie Mom of the Year. After instructing her girls not to be restricted by corsets in ``Little Women,'' she plays the mother of seven sons in ``Safe Passage,'' a 1990s-style drama about a dysfunctional family that pulls together when tragedy hits. Sean Astin and Robert Sean Leonard are among her sons; Sam Shepard, the playwright who lives in Charlottesville, plays her estranged husband. The sweetness has been taken out to make this a tough family drama.

- Mal Vincent by CNB