Critics Voices

By Compiled by Andrea Sachs

BOOKS

MEANS OF ASCENT by Robert A. Caro (Knopf; $24.95). This second volume of an extended biography of Lyndon Baines Johnson offers a hair-raising, white- knuckle ride through the 1940s, when its hero-villain clawed, scrambled and cheated his way toward the political mountaintop.

THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF JUDAISM edited by Geoffrey Wigoder (Macmillan; $75). The publisher of 1987's indispensable 16-volume Encyclopedia of Religion is back with this succinct one-volume compendium of Jewish topics, from Abortion to Zion. Virtues: clarity for nonspecialists and balance between modern concepts and respect for tradition.

THE BOY SCOUT HANDBOOK (Boy Scouts of America; $4.95). "Be Prepared" takes on new meaning in the latest edition of the 80-year-old guide. In addition to learning knots and first aid, scouts are now advised to "say no" to drugs and be aware of child abuse. In order to remain "brave, clean and reverent," they are encouraged to blow the whistle on dealers and abusers.

THEATER

LETTICE & LOVAGE. Peter Shaffer (Equus, Amadeus) wrote this Broadway comedy as a showcase for Maggie Smith. She returns the favor by giving the performance of her career as a stately home tour guide who devalues fact for fancy.

THE GRAPES OF WRATH. This adaptation of John Steinbeck's landmark novel is everything that Broadway shows typically are not: political, conscience- stricken, expansive (the cast numbers 35) and epic. Much more realistic than the inspirational Henry Fonda film, the production by Chicago's Steppenwolf Company is flawed, sometimes slow, but deeply, achingly honest.

TELEVISION

EQUAL JUSTICE (ABC, Wednesdays, 10 p.m. EST). A band of young lawyers struggle to retain their ideals, and win a few cases, in a big-city D.A.'s office. ABC's new courtroom series matches up well against NBC's L.A. Law: more grit and less sanctimony.

HA! (debuting April 1). From MTV comes cable's second network devoted strictly to laughs. But unlike HBO's Comedy Channel, which features MTV-style clips, this one will offer full-length shows: both new fare and reruns of everything from Sergeant Bilko to Saturday Night Live.

MOVIES

JOE VERSUS THE VOLCANO. In this wan bit of whimsy from Moonstruck writer John Patrick Shanley, Tom Hanks plays a young man who believes he is dying and so agrees to jump into a live volcano. The picture makes no more sense than its synopsis, though Meg Ryan beguiles in three different roles.

TOO BEAUTIFUL FOR YOU. A French businessman (Gerard Depardieu) has a gorgeous, loving wife (Carole Bouquet). So how come he loves frowsy Josiane Balasko? Because in a Bertrand Blier movie, fate always drives men into the brick wall of their improbable lust. This bracing, supersonic comedy plays mid-life crisis for all it's worth: as high farce, with a body count.

MUSIC

KONBIT!: BURNING RHYTHMS OF HAITI (A&M). Twelve scorchers from the turbulent Caribbean isle, assembled by film director Jonathan Demme. The record's a strong political gesture (most of the tunes have a social conscience that's both chilling and chillin') and the season's most salubrious rhythm assault.

COURTNEY PINE: THE VISION'S TALE (Island/Antilles). Young (24), gifted, black and British, saxman Courtney Pine is his country's most popular jazz performer. His third album, a mix of standards and originals, shows off a controlled lyricism and two different voices: wailing and reedy on soprano, muzzy and funky on tenor. But Pine's stylish man at the piano, Ellis Marsalis, almost steals the album.

DR. JOHN TEACHES NEW ORLEANS PIANO (Homespun Video). "I think," says Dr. John in his best gone-fishing voice, "we're gonna start off with a little Frankie and Johnny, a la Professor Longhair." No matter if you don't know about the good professor (the past master of R. and B. keyboard, Crescent City style) or aren't sure about the good doctor either (one of Longhair's foremost disciples, the winner of a 1990 Grammy Award for a duo jazz vocal and a kind of living archive of musical history). Just sit back and watch Dr. John work his way through the likes of C.C. Rider and Pine Top Boogie. You may not be able to play the tunes when the videotape's over -- it takes a pretty advanced pianist even to follow the Doc's fingering -- but you will have got a graduate course in soul. (Homespun Tapes, Box 694, Woodstock, N.Y. 12498; 1-800-338-2737)

ART

DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER, New York Public Library, New York City. A winning collection of paintings, sculpture and photos demonstrating that (baseball) diamonds are a fan's best friend. Through April 21.

REMBRANDT'S LANDSCAPES: DRAWINGS AND PRINTS, National Gallery of Art, Washington. Neither his usual subject nor his familiar oil medium, but the master's bucolic visions are brilliant. Through May 20.