European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 09, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                St. Etienne keeps its music and show Light by Peedee Doke staff writers aint Etienne s Sarah Cracknell knows How to make an Entrance first have the ban warm up the crowd with a song that does t require the presence of the leading lady. Once the crowd is clapping and whistling str Trout to Center stage head High Floun cing a dramatic Feather Boa and take Over the song i like performers to dress up and put lots of Effort into things said Cracknell the Perky voice of England s popular dance pop Trio. And i love Feather Boas it s not Only her Entrance that Cracknell and band mates Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs have perfected in creating an Overall St. Etienne  Feather Light pop songs such As you re in a bad Way and like a Motorway featuring Cracknell s ice Cream Cool vocals camped up with a 60s swinging London attitude have made the band a sellout attraction in England and sold thousands of copies of their albums Fox base Alpha so Tough and most recently Jitter Bay. And in concert there s also the wave. Cracknell s signature stage move in which she extends her arms above her head and floats them from Side to Side airily punctuates most of the band s most tightly paced numbers. The crowd can t resist they do the wave with her. I want to see you dance your panties off Cracknell tells the crowd. I never really thought of it being a signature but i wanted a simple dance move not difficult something the crowd can do Cracknell said backstage at the Luxor club in Cologne Germany As the band friends and visitors unwound in a squalid tiny room after a sold out show. Although St. Etienne is officially a Trio two other vocalists and additional musicians All friends of the band perform with them onstage. Is Sarah Cracknell of sol Etienne Mattes her move Cologne Germany audience. Wiggs and Stanley were the original members of St Etienne before Cracknell joined. The band took its name from a 1970s French football team that was very very big Stanley said adding i always wanted to be a footballer but i  St. Etienne s lighthearted sound relies on straightforward Melody and lyrics with often romantic themes but experimentation in the production complicates the package. On the first two albums for example the band sampled dialogue from old British movies in Between songs. Originally the band wanted to use snippets of dialogue from old american movies but their Legal advisors warned them that certain legalities had to be observed. Even with the British samples the samples Cost More than the recording of the album Cracknell said adding that St Etienne May opt however to Sample again on a future album. It s sort of a love hate thing she said. People either loved it or they rated it. We did it for atmosphere. We d love to do a movie soundtrack ourselves like for a Jane Campion movie Cracknell said referring to the australian director who wrote and directed the Oscar winning movie the piano. In spite of her interest in movies the title of the band s current album Tiger Bay in t an homage to the classic Hayley Mills thriller of the same name. No it s a Loose tribute to British Singer Shirley Bassey known for the theme song from the James Bond movie Gold Frengen. As Well As reflecting a pastoral nautical background for the album. We wanted to do something that included some Folk melodies not that Many choruses. We used an orchestra and More live strings. We actually thought at one Point it was t going to. Work. But it All just came together Cracknell said. Among their slew of faithful fans is British Soldier Patrick Kavanagh who caught their show in Cologne Germany because he says it s too hard to get a ticket to see them at Home. I be been a fan Ever since Fox base Alpha enthused Kavanagh a British Soldier who is assigned to Monchen. Gladbach Germany they re just  Oava Casey on a Frankie Valli 0ggb3eb3sbeebbbbbahbbesbnhb concert listings see pages 16, 17 & 18 of what a night it will be when Valli and the  play London s Hammersmith Apolio in october. Show Biz today nutes Are news in new opera season by Scott Winokur san Francisco examiner if the Mitchell Brothers o Farrell theatre in san Francisco is the Only porno Palace you patronize this fall you could miss out big time. Through november naked ladies galore will flounce and Bounce about in non singing parts on the stage of no less an Emporium of High Art than the san Francisco opera. Forget the High c s. This year opera is about sgd s. So get your Yah Yah put folks. We re talking not merely Wagner Verdi and Rossini at the no. 2 opera House in the nation but full frontal or partial nudity in four of its nine productions the fiery Angel Tannhauser Herod Ladeane Merj Tofele. In the final scene. Which takes place in a Convent opera fliers said in reference to the fiery Angel by Prokofiev several nuns become possessed and strip off All their clothing. We Are looking for women Watn acting ability who would like to perform in the roles of the stripping nuns. Topless parts also available in Tannhauser the roulade Albert Goodwyn the opera official running the auditions went into a Little More detail about the Job requirements no prior experience is necessary just a willingness to be completely naked in front of 3,600 people. The part lasts 15 to 20 minute Sand they la have to be in constant  pay a pittance $525 for fiery Angel but that includes umpteen rehearsal hours and seven performances. On an hourly basis the women might be better off stripping furniture. The opera has a Large contingent of men a and women known As supers Short for supernumerary is the non singers who carry Spears in a a. These Are people who love opera so much the Glamour the opportunities to schmooze with the Placido and the Lucianos the smell of the greasepaint and the Roar of the crowd that they be been volunteering for years. Many Are women in their 30s, 40s and 50s. I m told by opera insiders that these ladies Are being rudely shunted aside in the push for nudity. They re human furniture that s suddenly out of fashion. This season if you Don t want to take your clothes off you re screwed an insider said. The opera people claim they want ail body types for fiery Angel because nuns come in All shapes sizes and Ages. Yeah and i Sang Pagliacci at the met. If what you re saying is True How come you advertised at the Mitchell Brothers and How come your own marketing person Doug Allan told me fliers were distributed at the Mitchell Brothers because it could be someone said get these out where Well be Able to find the right body Type and finally How come a videotape of fiery Angel by the kirov Russia opera directed by the same Guy directing Here David Freeman showed Only one body Type Young terrific and maybe Worth big Bucks to see Buck naked Sapps Howard news service Friday september 9,1994 the stars and stripes