I know, it sucks to be back from spring break. Why not stop whining and indulge in the various openings of the spring season?

Come support fellow Obies Alex Hurd (baritone) and Jason Hardink (piano) at the Helen Swank Honorary Concert tonight at Ohio State UniversityÕs Weigel hall in Columbus. They are winners of the Vocal Arts Resource NetworkÕs art song competition. The action begins at 7:15. Call (614) 451-3783.

Pigs, Pimps and Pornographers: The Films of Shohei Imamura, howÕs that for a title? Catch an array of the Japanese directorÕs films at the Cleveland Cinematheque this weekend. TonightÕs feature is Pigs and Battleships, at 9:30 p.m. Admission is $6. Call (216) 421-7450

Continuing on the Japanese theme, the Akron Art Museum is opening an exhibition of photographer Hiroshi Sugimoto. This exhibit originated at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, so it must be sweet stuff. The exhibit opens on Saturday and there is also a party to meet the artist from 6 to 9 p.m. that is free to the public.

Or if youÕre looking for something in the mainstream, DisneyÕs Beauty and the Beast, the smash Broadway musical, opened yesterday at Playhouse Square. It features Alan MenkenÕs Academy award winning musical score a ton of technical dazzle. It is playing tonight and Saturday night at 8 p.m. Prices range from $20 to $65. Call (800) 766-6048

Feeling adventurous? Everest, the latest IMAX extravaganza, is now showing at the Great Lakes Science Center. It is a documentary that actually follows a group of climbers up the tallest Himalayan peak. Creaking ice falls! Quaking chasms! Oxygen thin altitudes! DonÕt miss this! Call (216) 694-2000 for information and tickets.

For you fringe theater buffs, the New World Performance Laboratory presents Wozeck, a play by George Buchner at the Cleveland Public Theater. It is the fragmented tale of a fractured soldier driven to madness by a mechanistic culture of science. Catch this innovative production tonight or Saturday at 8 p.m. or Sunday at 2 p. m. Tickets are $8 for Students, $12 for others. Call (216) 631-2727 for more information.

The Cleveland Museum of Art is presenting the world premiere of a four-film Jewish Documentary Festival. This Wednesday at 7 p.m. marks the first showing, A life Apart: Hasidism in America, directed by Menachem Daum and Oren Rudavsky and narrated by Leonard Nimoy and Sarah Jessica Parker. Tickets are $6. Call (216) 421-7340 for more information.

MozartÕs opera masterpiece, The Abduction from the Seraglio, will be have its Cleveland premiere with Opera CircleÕs debut season. The performance will occur on Sunday at the Cleveland Central Catholic High School, West Campus at 3 p.m. Tickets are $8 for students, $10 for others. Call (216) 441-2822 for information.

EverybodyÕs favorite, Riverdance, returns to the State Theatre in Cleveland by popular demand. It opens this Tuesday. For those of you who donÕt know, Riverdance is a magical, Irish dance smashtacular. Get a taste of Dublin other than happy hour pints of Guiness at the Feve bar. Tickets are $45 to $65. Call (216) 241-6000 for information.

Arts...Out of Town was compiled by Michelle Chang this week. Tell us what youÕd like to see more of (besides my sparkling presence). Call x8123.