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Sunday, October 31, 2010

REVIEW: “OPUS” @ TWO RIVER THEATER COMPANY

Playwrights often reference life on and backstage as a metaphor for life: Shakespeare, Tom Stoppard, A.J. Gurney and David Mamet to name a few. Now, along comes violist-turned-playwright Michael Hollinger, whose play Opus lifts the curtain on life in a string quartet to reveal the world in microcosm, complete with petty jealousies, sexual politics, brutal ambition, nasty criticism and Olympic-level backstabbing. It’s not pretty, but it sure is fascinating.

Opus, by Michael Hollinger, ditrected by Matthew Arbour at Two River Theatre Company 10/26-11/14/10
Sets – Lee Savage
Costumes – Lesley Sorenson
Lights – Tyler Micoleau
Sound – Zach Williamson
© T Charles Erickson
photoshelter.com/c/tcharleserickson
tcepix@comcast.netTwo River Theater Company’s second offering of the 2010-2011 season, Opus is the story of the acclaimed Lazzarro String Quartet. Shortly before its most important and impressive gig—playing for the President of the United States at the White House and being seen, and heard, by 15 million television viewers, replaces its violist and its program . Hollinger gives us a sense of this world and the relationships of the five people involved in it. Five, you say? I thought this was about a quartet. Well, matters are complicated by the hiring of a young female violist who has the professional skill if not the experience, and by the original violist who, albeit terminated, won’t go away quietly. (photos by T. Charles Erickson)

Under the confident direction of Matthew Arbour, whose deft hand makes the actors’ playing of the violins, viola and cello look entirely convincing and keeps the tempo steady throughout the ninety-minute performance, the actors project the idea that “high strung” doesn’t apply to just their Opus, by Michael Hollinger, ditrected by Matthew Arbour at Two River Theatre Company 10/26-11/14/10
Sets – Lee Savage
Costumes – Lesley Sorenson
Lights – Tyler Micoleau
Sound – Zach Williamson
© T Charles Erickson
photoshelter.com/c/tcharleserickson
tcepix@comcast.netinstruments! Unlike an orchestra, which is entirely “In the thrall” of the conductor’s baton (and decisions), a string quartet has “no one leading, no one following,” and much is decided by consensus. One of the musicians likens a string quartet at its best to “a marriage, only with more fidelity,” while another says, “At its worst, it’s like swallowing Drano.”

THURNAUER CHAMBER MUSIC SOCIETY OPENS 2010-2011 SEASON

The Schumann Triangle: Celebrating
Robert Schumann's 200th Anniversary

WHEN: Saturday, November 13, at 8 PM
WHERE:
The Eric Brown Theater at the Kaplen JCC on the Palisades, 411 East Clinton Avenue in Tenafly
TICKETS: $16 JCC members, $20 general admission
For more information, please call the Thurnauer School of Music at 201.408.1465 or visit www.jccotp.org/thurnauer.

TCMS w_o bass player The program will include Clara Schumann’s Three Romances for Piano Solo, Robert Schumann’s Fairy Tales for clarinet, viola and piano, Op. 132, and Johannes Brahms’s Piano Quintet in F Minor, Op. 34. There is a pre-concert talk at 7 PM.

Members of the Thurnauer Chamber Music Society are distinguished, award-winning performers and recording artists who teach at the Thurnauer School of Music. They are: Sharon Roffman and Annaliesa Place, violin; Yari Bond, cello; Richard Goldsmith, clarinet; and Jon Klibonoff, piano.

These concerts are made possible by a generous contribution from Eva Holzer and the Dr. Zalman “Tiny” Konikow Chamber Music Endowment Fund.

Saturday, October 30, 2010

MAD SCIENCE PRESENTS “CSI:LIVE” IN ENGLEWOOD

Prepare for an Exciting Interactive Experience…
Mad Science Presents CSI: LIVE
WHEN: Saturday November 6, 4:00 PM
WHERE: bergenPAC, 30 North Van Brunt Street, Englewood
TICKETS: $25, $15

mad science logo Children and adults alike will enjoy an exclusive opportunity to share in the adventures of CSI: LIVE!, the latest Mad Science® production at bergenPAC in Englewood, New Jersey.


The world’s number one television franchise is about to hit the stage!  Mad Science presents CSI: LIVE!, an exciting, interactive journey through the fascinating world of crime scene investigations. 

When a crime is committed at the Las Vegas premiere of the Max Spade Magic Show, the CSI team springs into action. Sydney Mathis and David Hart play the roles of CSI investigators and are on the case, assisted by supervisor Gil Grissom through a live video connection from the Las Vegas Crime Lab.

Audience members will jump up on stage and become part of the action; becoming witnesses, suspects and CSI recruits. Together they will use their superior logic and forensic know-how to uncover hidden details, investigate the evidence and test their theories. 

Whether it’s analyzing mysterious gasses, launching projectiles into a target or firing a laser beam across the stage, the CSI recruits will have to be on their toes to help solve the crime before it’s too late! 

How was the crime committed? Who is guilty? Only you can find the answers. It’s CSI: LIVE!—join the adventure! (age appropriate for ages 8 and older)

About The Mad Science Group®
Mad Science® is the world’s leading fun science brand. Its entertaining and engaging productions spark the imagination of children and family audiences with shows conducted in amusement parks, theme parks, fairs, schools, camps and homes. Based in Montreal, Canada, the Mad Science Group has developed more than 300 hours of original science content with over 2,000 interactive activities delivered by an extensive network of 150 franchises across 20 countries and 5 continents. Mad Science Productions®, a division of the Mad Science Group conducts large-scale touring stage shows. Mad Science conducts a quarter million presentations a year, for 5 million customers! Visit www.madscience.org!

CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION in USA is a trademark of CBS Broadcasting Inc. and outside USA is a trademark of Entertainment AB Funding LLC. CBS and the CBS Eye Design TM CBS Broadcasting Inc.  ©2000 - 2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. and Entertainment AB Funding LLC. All Rights Reserved.

REVIEW: “THIS” @ DREAMCATCHER REP IN SOUTH ORANGE

At what point does a thirty-something person realize that his/her life has not quite turned out as planned? Is it the birth of a first child? The early death of a spouse? An unexpected—but not necessarily unwelcome—sexual encounter with a best friend’s husband (and the subsequent secrecy that attends it)? And at what point must a person take responsibility for his/her life’s direction, for good or for ill?

Melissa James Gibson addresses these issues in her bittersweet comedy, This, now receiving its New Jersey première at Dreamcatcher Repertory Theatre in South Orange. In 2009, The New York Times called This “the best new play to open Off-Broadway,” and Dreamcatcher’s production does justice to the play’s clever word play and dialogue that rings true as it illuminates the human condition.

Laura Ekstrand, Nicole Callender,
Christopher Miller, Scott McGowan
Harry Patrick Christian at a dinner party.
This revolves around four people, friends since college, who find themselves at a crossroads in their lives and their relationships. Jane is a recent widow who has kept her husband Roy’s ashes on top of her refrigerator a year after his too-early death; Alan is a gay man whose only talent is the ability to remember exactly what happened in the past but who feels his “dinky” life hasn’t amounted to much. Tom and Marrell, new parents to a baby who sleeps no more than 15 minutes at a clip, are given to arguing (in public, no less) over when to change the Britta water filter and who should do it. A fifth character, Jean-Pierre, a French physician who works for Doctors Without Borders, has been brought into the group by Tom and Marrell as a possible suitor for Jane.

Laura Ekstrand as Jane
Because This concerns the stories we tell ourselves and each other to justify our choices and actions, it is fitting that the play begin with a parlor game that Tom, Marrell and Alan urge Jane  to play with them. “Jane hates games,” Alan announces (which Jane echoes several times to no avail), but she reluctantly agrees to play—perhaps so she won’t be considered a wet blanket by the handsome French doctor. The game involves her asking yes/no/maybe questions she asks and the others answer, to discover the story the other four have concocted while she’s been out of the room. Ironically, the story she comes up with mimics what will become her own: a 38-year-old widow becomes involved with her friend’s husband. When that does indeed happen, Jane, Marrell and Tom must deal with the fallout, which will affect their friendship forever.

Friday, October 29, 2010

A GROOVY SHOW FOR KIDS & FAMILIES


WHEN: Saturday, November 6, at 4:00 PM.
WHERE:
Historic Palace Theatre, Route 183, 7 Ledgewood Avenue, Netcong
TICKETS: $12.00
Call 973.347.4946 or click here to order!

Brady Rymer was a founding member of the much-loved roots/rock band From Good Homes, a band with deep Northern New Jersey roots, touring for thirteen years with Bob Dylan, Dave Matthews and the Grateful Dead’s Bob Weir, before parenthood broadened the audience of his music to include young and old alike.

First class, all-American rock ‘n’ roll with a feel-good R&B foundation is Rymer’s calling card; his show with the Little Band That Could creates a happy, rollicking back-porch vibe that gets children and their families up and dancing, and smiling from ear to ear. People Magazine calls Rymer a “fave” of families everywhere; kids love the energy and Rymer’s magnetic, good-times-guy charm, and the band’s musicianship is something even the most discerning music-loving parent can appreciate.

Nina Music’s blending of sign language, movement and music has been a big hit in live performances, most recently as a featured children’s performer at Musikfest, one of the country’s largest music festivals. Her performance will get the audience joining her to Sing – Sign – Dance!

Presenting music with the whole family in mind, Brady Rymer and the Little Band That Could will showcase favorites from all of Brady’s albums, including tunes from the GRAMMY-nominated Here Comes Brady Rymer and the Little Band That Could. They’ll be sure to perform their hit Jump Up (It’s A Good Day)”; whose percolating rhythms are as uplifting as they are infectious, bringing audiences to their feet – and some into the air!  They will also play “Love Me For Who I Am,” inspired by Brady’s work with children on the autism spectrum at Celebrate the Children School in Wharton. 

The New York Daily News sums it all up nicely:  “Rymer and his Little Band That Could get the whole family groovin’!”

ALBEE PLAY EXAMINES THE MEANING OF LOVE

Goat
THE GOAT OR, WHO IS SYLVIA?By Edward Albee
WHEN: November 5, 6†, 7*, 12, 13, 14*, 18, 19, 20***2 PM matinee
**There will be a 2 PM matinee and an 8 PM performance on November 20.
†Second Night Meet & Greet
The November 6 performance is for the benefit of The Oasis.
WHERE: The Nutley Little Theatre, 47 Erie Place in Nutley, NJ. Parking is prohibited on Erie Place, but is available nearby on Brookfield Avenue
TICKETS: $15
Toll-Free Ticket Line and Online Ordering
877.238.5596 / SmartTix.com
This often shocking and always thought-provoking play is a wickedly funny examination of the meaning of love. It presents a family embroiled in a predicament that slowly and inexorably leads to tragedy. The play earned Albee the 2002 Tony Award for Best Play as well as a Pulitzer Prize nomination.
This play contains adult themes and language

A CABARET EVENING AT NJPAC


Liz Callaway
A Cabaret Evening


WHEN: Saturday, November 6, at 7 PM & 9:30 PM
WHERE: NJPAC, The Chase Room, One Center Street, Newark
TICKETS: $48 general admission; $68 Golden Circle; order online.

Please note: there are no discounts for this performance.

One of Broadway’s brightest leading ladies returns with a new evening of cabaret. Liz Callaway was in the original casts of Sondheim’s Merrily We Roll Along and the legendary Miss Saigon. She spent five years as Grizabella in Cats and earned a Tony nod for her role in Baby. This season, the Emmy and MAC Award winner brings a new program of both standards and contemporary fare like “Something Wonderful,” “Make Someone Happy,” “Memory” and more from her recent CD, Passage of Time.

Listen to Liz below:


UNDERSTANDING WOMEN: A PLAY READING IN CHESTER

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The Women: A Reading
by Claire Boothe Luce
WHEN: Saturday & Sunday, November 5 and 6, at 8 PM
WHERE:
Black River Playhouse, Grove and Maple in Chester
TICKETS: $10. Reservations: 908.879.7304
Website: For more information, please visit www.chestertheatregroup.org

Welcome to a secret society—the world of women. In The Women, a 1930s Broadway hit by Clare Boothe Luce, a Manhattan socialite discovers her husband is cheating on her, and her girlfriends are no help at all. With manicured claws, these women fight to maintain their status while scheming to leave, steal or win back their own husbands.

This classic play captures a world that only half the population ever really gets to see. A revealing look into the lives of the ladies-who-lunch that is clever, cut-throat and full of outrageous humor.

The Women had an initial Broadway run of 657 performances before touring for two years. It was later adapted for the big screen in 1939.

“A play that takes place in women’s boudoirs, salons, bubble baths and powder rooms—information for the men in the audience, confirmation for the women and a true celebration of the extraordinary actresses in our company.”

“I don’t ask any man to understand me. How could he? I’m a woman.”

WORKSHOPS FOR KIDS DURING TEACHERS’ CONVENTION RECESS @ THE HUNTERDON ART MUSEUM

The kids are off from school because of Teachers’ Convention and you haven’t a clue what to do with them? The Hunterdon Art Museum has some classes that will keep their little brains and imaginations involved:

Hunterdon Art Museum center for art, craft & design
School's Out / NJEA Conference Workshops

THURSDAY, November 4
950 Nature's Gallery with Nan Krochta (Age 6 and up)
9:00 PM – 12:00 PM, Tuition: $42; member $37
Supervised Lunch: 12:00 – 1:00 PM. $10

951 Painting Pals with Lisa Grasso-Earl (Age 6 and up)
1:00 – 4:00 PM, Tuition: $42; member $37

FRIDAY, November 5
952 Draw, Paint and Sculpt with Nan Krochta (Age 6 and up)
9:00 AM – 12:00 PM, Tuition: $42; member $37
Supervised Lunch: 12:00 – 1:00 PM, $10

953 Webs, Wings and Watercolor with Lisa Grasso-Earl (Age 6 and up)
1:00 – 4:00 PM, Tuition: $42; member $37
Hunterdon Art Museum
Gallery hours: Tuesday through Sunday, 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM 
7 Lower Center Street
Clinton, New Jersey 08809
908.735.8415
www.hunterdonartmuseum.org

16 INDIE FILMS BRING SOUTH ASIA TO THE DIASORA THIS WEEKEND ONLY

Attention indie film lovers: This free film festival promotes filmmakers who produce interesting work but don’t get commercial distribution very easily. Admission is free on a first-come, first-served basis:
The 4th New Jersey Independent South Asian
Cine Fest (NJISACF) 2010
produced by the Asian American Film and Theater Project

WHEN: October 29, 8-11 PM & October 30, noon-11 PM
WHERE: The BIG CINEMAS, Movie City 8 1655 Oak Tree Road, Edison
TICKETS: free—no children under the age of 12 permitted

This year the festival will showcase independent films by or about South Asian women from all over the world that challenges the stereotypical and traditional portrayal of South Asian women in mainstream commercial cinema.

The festival will also feature filmmaker Q&As and panel discussions with participation from scholars and academics from a variety of disciplines on the following topics:
  • Changing Representations of Women in South Asian Cinema
  • South Asian Women Reshaping their Identity: A discussion on South Asian Diasporic Women Filmmakers
For information on the films being screened and the schedule, click here.
The New Jersey Independent South Asian Film Festival (NJISACF) is the first and only of its kind South Asian cine fest held in New Jersey. Asian American Film and Theater Project, a non-profit tax-exempt organization based in USA, is committed to the promotion, production and exhibition of film and theater works that reflect the diverse experiences of the Asian diaspora across the globe.

Thursday, October 28, 2010

ONE-MAN TRAVELOGUE LANDS IN RED BANK!

NAMASTE MAN
By Andrew Weems

WHEN: November 4 – 7 at 8 PM
WHERE: Two River Theatre, 21 Bridge Avenue, Red Bank
TICKETS: $20; To purchase tickets, call the box office at 732.345.1400 or click here!

Click HERE to watch a video about Namaste Man!

How does a middle-class, Redskins-loving, pre-pubescent American boy respond to extreme poverty? Being forced to schlep through the Himalayas? Sharing the road with water buffalo? Join Andy Weems as he looks back on the formative years he spent in Kathmandu as the son of a U.S. Foreign Service officer. Playing a variety of roles with virtuosity, pinpoint accuracy and endearing charm, Andy explores the places he’s been, the people he’s known, and the way a single object can take you across oceans and years to the moments that shaped you.

SCHOLA CANTORUM ON HUDSON SCHEDULES RECITALS

If you love music, especially choral music, mark your calendars for the recitals scheduled by this outstanding group. Two are in NJ and 1 in downtown NYC—all eminently reachable by music lovers:
SCH_Masthead
Schola Sings Solo Recital Concert Series
Saturday, November 6, at 8:00 PM
First Presbyterian Church, 15 Shuart Lane, Ramsey, NJ
Saturday, January 22, at 8:00 PM
St. John’s in the Village, 218 W. 11th Street, New York, NY
Saturday, January 29, at 8:00 PM
St. Vincent de Paul RC Church, 979 Avenue C, Bayonne, NJ
Snow Date: Saturday, February 5, at 8:00 PM

The cast of eight professional singers offers an evening of entertainment with enormous stylistic variety. Selections include solos, duets and small ensembles exploring the season’s overarching theme of “freedom.”
Composers represented are Sondheim, Britten, Bernstein and SCH’s Featured Composer Wayne Eastwood.

TICKETS: $15. To purchase tickets, call 888.407.6002 or visit www.ScholaOnHudson.org

“ROMEO & JULIET”: WHEREFORE ART THOU? IN JERSEY CITY @ THE ACTORS’ SHAKESPEARE COMPANY!

Is your teenager reading Romeo and Juliet in English class this year? Why not take him/her to see a performance of the Shakespearean play in Jersey City at the Actors’ Shakespeare Company? You can’t beat an in-the-flesh performance for grabbing the teenage imagination and interest!

The Actors Shakespeare Company at New Jersey City University presents Romeo and Juliet as the first Shakespeare Main Stage production of its 2010-2011.


R&J '10 Press 012WHEN: Friday, November 5 through Sunday, November 21; 7:30 PM on Fridays and 3 PM on Saturdays and Sundays.
WHERE: New Jersey City University at the campus’ West Side Theater, 285 West Side Avenue near Culver Street (on the NJCU campus), just minutes from routes 440, 1-9 and the N.J. Turnpike extension I-78. There is ample parking in the school’s lots on West Side Avenue.
TICKETS: $30 general admission, $15 for students and seniors, and children under 15 pay their age. Official Opening Day is Sunday, November 7, when a reception with the actors will follow the performance. All tickets for November 7 are $30. For information, or to make reservations, call the box office at 201.200.2390 or visit www.ascnj.org.

This November marks the third Romeo and Juliet that ASC has offered in its 10-year existence, and its small cast of six actors is decidedly different from the first two. A few years ago, a lab project formed by a handful of ASC ensemble actors explored an R&J with a doubling and tripling of parts. It led to the current main stage showing. This production will also depart from ASC’s traditional costuming of its actors in authentic Elizabethan dress, featuring a blend of Renaissance and contemporary costumes, music and style.

R&J '10 Press 007 “The contrast of contemporary and classic will serve to illustrate the gap between the parents of the two warring families and their offspring and dramatize the conventions and control that a traditional, wealthy family of Verona in the Italian Renaissance would have placed on their children,” says ASC Play Master Craig Colfelt.

“This is a Romeo & Juliet for everyone: music, comedy, romance, drama and swordplay combine to make it the ideal Shakespeare production for the whole family,” says ASC Producing Artistic Director Colette Rice.

LENAPE INDIAN FAMILY DAY AT THE MORRIS MUSEUM

clip_image002[5]Celebrate American Indian Heritage Month at the Morris Museum’s Lenape Indian Family Day
WHEN: Saturday November 6, Noon – 4 PM
WHERE: The Morris Museum, located at 6 Normandy Heights Road (at the corner of Columbia Turnpike) in Morristown
TICKETS: free with museum admission
Enjoy an afternoon at the Morris Museum and learn about New Jersey’s first people—the Lenape Indians.

MM John Kraft Lenape Artifacts John Kraft, Creator and Director of Lenape Lifeways, will give presentations that focus on the culture of the Lenape Indians. Participants will see and hold authentic and replicated objects, including stone and bone tools, masks, pottery, clothing, musical instruments, games, and more. Mr. Kraft will be dressed in period costume (17th century) when he discusses Lenape history and shares Lenape stories. Families will be invited to create corn husk dolls and to design a woven textile in a craft workshop run by Morris Museum educators. All activities are drop-in, throughout the afternoon.

ANOTHER CRITIC WEIGHS IN: “THE OLD SETTLER” ROCKS

"Old Settler Dazzles in New Theatre"—The Star Ledger

Luna Stage Opens West Orange Space with a 'Perfect' Production
by Peter Filichia—for The Star Ledger

What a lucky township West Orange is.

The excellent Luna Stage Company—evicted last year from its theater in the very unlucky neighboring community of Montclair—has chosen this municipality as its new home.

Better still, it’s making an astonishing first impression with “The Old Settler,” John Henry Redwood’s wonderfully funny, charming and honest play.

As potent as “The Old Settler” was in its American premiere in 1997 at the McCarter Theatre in Princeton, it works even better here in this intimate playhouse. Susan Kerner has directed a production that is so close to perfection that she deserves the benefit of the doubt—let’s just call it perfect.

>> Read the entire review

Pictured above: Suzzanne Douglas as Bess and Ami Brabson as Quilly in the Luna Stage production of The Old Settler, now playing through November 14.

See The Old Settler at Luna Stage Tonight at 7:30 PM,
Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 PM, and Sundays at 2:00 PM through November 14

For tickets visit lunastage.org


Luna Stage Theatre Company
555 Valley Road
West Orange NJ 07052
973.395.5551

PLAYHOUSE 22 AUDITIONS FOR “CURTAINS”

For those actors who live in central Jersey, Playhouse 22 is holding auditions for a terrifically funny musical that just ran on Broadway:

Curtains
Book by Rupert Holmes, lyrics by Fred Ebb, music by John Kander, with additional lyrics by Kander and Holmes
Directed by Robert Gargiullo, Music Direction by Mark McGee, Choreography by BJ Solomon

Curtains_logoWHEN: Sunday, November 7, and Monday, November 8, at 7:30 PM
WHERE:
 
East Brunswick Community Arts Center at 721 Cranbury Road, East Brunswick. 

If you have any questions, please e-mail curtains@playhouse22.org.

PERFORMANCE DATES: February 4–27, 2011.  All shows are Fridays and Saturdays at 8 PM and Sundays at 3 PM. 
Those auditioning should bring an updated copy of their theater resumé and head shots, if available. In addition, individuals should be familiar with the musical and should be prepared sing a song of their choice in a “traditional Broadway” style. We will provide sides for auditions.

Based on the original book and concept by Peter Stone, the musical is a send-up of backstage murder mystery plots.  Set in 1959 Boston, Massachusetts, it follows the fallout when the supremely untalented star of Robbin’ Hood of the Old West is murdered during her opening night curtain call. Can a police detective who moonlights as a musical theater fan save the show, solve the case, and maybe even find love before the show reopens, without getting killed himself?
  • LIEUTENANT FRANK CIOFFI (Should read 40s)  Local Boston detective who is also a musical theater aficionado.  Aside from being exceptionally good at his job, he has also aspired to be a musical theater performer his entire life.  He falls in love with Niki. Must move well. Low A flat to high E
  • NIKI HARRIS (Should read 20s–early 30s)  Pretty, naïve ingénue.  Niki is a chorus girl/understudy in the chorus of the show within-the-show during its Boston tryout.  She aspires to make it as a performer on Broadway.  She meets and falls in love with Dt. Frank Cioffi who is investigating a murder at the theater.  Actress must have legit Soprano and good comic timing. Must move well. Middle C to high E
  • GEORGIA HENDRICKS (Should read 30s)  Female half of our songwriting team.  She ends up taking on the leading lady role.  She must sing and dance well.  Low G natural to high E
  • CARMEN BERNSTEIN (Should read 45–65)  Brassy Broadway producer.  She is a terrific comedic actress who sings well.  Low E flat to high E
  • AARON FOX (Should read 40s) The composer of the show-within-the-show. His songwriting partner, Georgia, is also his wife from whom he’s separated. He’s a sexy, charming ladies man. Low B flat to high G flat

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT FOR DAY OF THE DEAD

Latino Heritage Festival Special Annoucement for Members, Saturday, October 30

 

HAPPY 200th ANNIVERSARY YEAR, CHOPIN!

CONCERT ARTIST PROGRAM OF KEAN UNIVERSITY
WHEN: November 4, 2010, at 8 PM
WHERE:  Kean Hall on Kean’s main campus at the Green Lane entrance, just off of 1000 Morris Avenue, Union
TICKETS: $25 and are available by calling 908.737.SHOW (7469), and online at www.keanstage.com.

Gabriela Martinez The Concert Artist Program of Kean University will celebrate Chopin’s 200th anniversary year.  Gabriela Martinez, piano (pictured left); Joanna Frankel, violin; and Carrie Stinson, cello will perform many of Chopin’s pieces including his Cello Sonata and Piano Trio.

The Concert Artist Program brings world-renowned performing musicians onto the faculty of the Conservatory of Music. While maintaining successful careers as professional performers, Concert Artists present solo, chamber music and jazz recitals at Kean; teach private, weekly studio lessons to Kean students; and conduct master classes and other community outreach services in the public schools and junior colleges. Some Concert Artists also coach ensembles and teach classroom courses related to their special­ties.

BLOOMFIELD COLLEGE WESTMINSTER ARTS CENTER MUSIC SERIES

Musical Virtuosos, Anton Del Forno & Sons
WHEN: Friday, November 5, at 8 PM
WHERE:
Westminster Arts Center, 449 Franklin Street (at the corner of Franklin and Fremont Streets), Bloomfield
TICKETS: General Admission $20 and Seniors/Students (w/ID) $15. Reservations can be made by calling 973.748.9008, x279; or tickets can be purchased online at www.bccommunity.org/westminster.

Maestro Dle Forno  Sons (3) Anton Del Forno, widely regarded as one of the most premiere guitar virtuosos in performance and in composition, will perform original music for the first time ever in Essex County with his sons, Dante and Rhett. One of the pieces is Presto, the 3rd movement of Anton Del Forno’s Flirtation Concerto that he composed for guitar and orchestra.  For this concert, the Del Fornos arranged Presto for three instruments: classical guitar, keyboard and percussion. Other selections they’ll perform were composed by the maestro originally for solo guitar, transcribed for the current performance, and other composers’ works. Ironically, this virtuosic family has never studied music composition.

Dante and Rhett Del Forno, astounding musicians and composers in their own right, had to practice an instrument of their choice. Dante picked the piano, and Rhett the drums. The boys have written over 200 songs. During Dante's senior year in Millburn high School, he was voted by his classmates Musician of the Year. Throughout their high school years, they performed in Millburn High School in their own rock group called The Del Fornos. Dante graduated in 1995 and Rhett in 1997.

FLING THAT OLD PUMPKIN & HAVE FUN IN BELVIDERE!

While not exactly a cultural event, this one looks like fun…and a great way to get rid of those pumpkins rotting on your front steps:

WHEN: October 30 & 31, 2010, 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM
WHERE: Hensler Farms, 369 County Route 519, just outside of Belvidere, NJ
TICKETS: Adults: $8; Children 5-12: $5; Children 4 & Under Free
Free Parking

The Last Fling Pumpkin Sling is not a new idea. Each year a large "Punkin’ Chunkin’ Festival" is held in the state of Delaware. The idea to have one in Northern New Jersey was inspired by the abundant farmland and natural beauty of our area (and of course, the creative team down in Delaware.)

Sponsored by the Highlands Tourism Partnership, a newly formed group whose mission is to promote the natural beauty of the Highlands area, encouraging visitation to our farms, natural resources and historic sites.

The Highlands Tourism Partnership will encourage school groups to build a device—a catapult or trebechet—that can “sling” a pumpkin. The project will be a collaboration of brain and brawn as students work together as a team. The teams will come together to compete. (Adults may enter as well.)

Pumpkin Carving Contest
Deliver pumpkin(s) to the farm market at Hensler Farms on October 30 from 10–11 AM. Judging will be from 11 AM to 12:30 PM. Registration fee is $3.

Late entries will not be considered. If you would like the pumpkin returned please pick up at Hensler Farms between the hours of 5-6 PM  on Sunday, October 31.

Divisions:
Youth:    12-17
Adult:     18 & older

Winners: All pumpkins will be on display at the Hensler Farms in the greenhouse from October 30 and 31. $20 prize for each division.

And what would a Pumpkin themed event be without a Pumpkin Recipe Contest?

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

PLAYWRIGHTING CLASS FOR ADULTS AT PTNJ

One-Day Playwriting Intensive for Adults
When:
Saturday, November 13, from 9:30 AM-12:30 PM
WHERE:
Playwrights Theatre of New Jersey, 33 Green Village Road, Madison
COST: $125

Taught by Carolyn Hunt, playwright and teaching artist

This one-day playwriting intensive is for beginners and those looking to brush up on their skills. Individual instruction may also exist.

To Register: Contact the Education Department at 973.514.1787 X21.

TRAVEL ACROSS THE PRAIRIE WITH PTNJ & THE GROWING STAGE IN NOVEMBER: BRING THE KIDS

If you and your daughter/granddaughter/great-granddaughter/niece enjoyed Little House on the Prairie last year, here’s a story about a friendship forged on a wagon train crossing the country from the folks at The Growing Stage and Playwrights Theatre of New Jersey. Best of all, it will be performed in an intimate black-box theater for a singular dramatic experience:


Across the Wide and Lonesome Prairie
by Julie Jensen
Directed by John Pietrowski
Featuring Jane Keitel and Lori Lawrence
Appropriate for ages 8 and up
WHEN: November 4–21, 2010
WHERE: Playwrights Theatre, 33 Green Village Road, Madison
TICKETS: on sale on the PTNJ website or by calling the box office at 973.514.1787 X10.



Migrating with their parents on the Oregon Trail in 1847, two thirteen-year old girls become fast friends as they grow up together on their humorous and harrowing journey. Bill Westhoven, The Daily Record, called the January 2010 studio presentation "a stirring night of theater with performances worthy of a larger audience."

The Growing Stage will be touring the production and performing the piece at its home, The Historic Palace Theatre in Netcong, throughout March and May and information can be received by contacting the theater directly at www.growingstage.com.

About the Playwright:
Julie Jensen is author of 30 plays and the book PLAYWRITING: BRIEF AND BRILLIANT (Smith and Kraus), Jensen is Resident Playwright at Salt Lake Acting Company. Her play, SHE WAS MY BROTHER, will be produced this fall (Plan-B in SLC), and THE HARVEY GIRLS (Dramatic Publishing) also comes out this fall. Her plays WAIT!, CHEAT, DUST EATERS and ACROSS THE WIDE AND LONESOME PRAIRIE were all developed with the help of Playwrights Theatre of New Jersey.

REVIEW: “THE LION IN WINTER” ROARS AT STNJ

James Goldman’s Tony Award-winning play, The Lion in Winter has been described as a historic drama, a domestic comedy, a sitcom, a melodrama. So which is it? Why, it’s all four, and the play is getting the royal treatment at the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, where it is being performed through November 14.

It’s Christmas 1183 and the Plantagenet family has gathered at the castle of Chinon to celebrate the holiday. Hosting the festivities is Henry II, King of England, along with his estranged wife Eleanor of Aquitaine (released from her castle prison to attend) and their three contrary and quarrelsome sons, Richard, Geoffrey and John. Also in attendance are Alais, princess of France (and Henry’s much younger mistress) and her brother, the newly crowned King of France, Phillip.

What follows is the usual stuff that goes on in dysfunctional families of all stripes: sibling rivalries (for Mummy and Daddy’s affections and, more importantly, for the English throne), jockeying for Henry’s attention (Alais and Eleanor and John) and the rekindling and extinguishing of long-buried spousal feelings between the queen and the king. Not much is resolved, but the audience is treated to one heck of a performance, one with much political maneuvering and manipulation, a great deal of humor (Goldman gives his characters a quiver full of verbal grenades to lob at each other, much to the audience’s delight) and an interesting history story, to boot. Who cares if most of it isn’t historically true; it puts the recent partisan political shenanigans to shame!

LION IMG_1270 The family may be comprised of people who aren’t really very nice, but the actors assembled by Director Paul Mullins are first rate. Four of the seven are first-timers at STNJ; here’s hoping they return again—soon! Sherman Howard is a commanding Henry II, swaggering around the stage, wrapping everyone around his little finger with his charm. It is easy to see why Alais and Eleanor both love him. His smile lights up whichever “room” he’s in! Lisa Harrow’s Eleanor is his perfect nemesis. Crafty, congenial, witty (when he tells her the “boys” have knives, she retorts, “It’s 1183, Henry, we all have knives and we’re barbarians!”) and charming, Harrow’s raised eyebrow and smug smile telegraph her feelings as Henry pompously announces, “God, but I live being king," and plays games with the throne. The best thing about pairing Howard and Harrow is the convincing chemistry between them. It is easy to imagine the two as lovers/spouses and adversaries not above fighting or imprisoning each other to get what they want. (Above: Lisa Harrow as Eleanor of Aquitaine and Sherman Howard as King Henry II of England. Photo: © Gerry Goodstein)

NEW MOON READING SERIES @ LUNA STAGE

luna stage logo

First Monday of Every Month

nobody rides a locomotive no mo'
by Matthew Paul Olmos
Directed by Jane Mandel

WHEN: Monday November 1, 7:30 PM
WHERE:
555 Valley Road, West Orange
Suggested Donation: $5

A mother, a father, and a teenage daughter—nobody rides a locomotive no mo' is the frank and moving journey of one ill-equipped family trying their very best to deal with the disintegration of their home through alcoholism and questionable parenting.

LAST CALL FOR 3-D WIRE LOOPING CLASS NOVEMBER 1

Hunterdon Art Museum center for art, craft & design

Registration for 3-Dimensional Wire Looping is closing November 1st
Reserve your spot today! 
click here to visit the artist's website

 

Lindsay Ketterer Gates

Three Dimensional Wire Looping with Lindsay Ketterer Gates
Offered as part of the Peters Valley Craft Center/Hunterdon Art 
Museum Partnership:  Explorations in Fine Craft 

WHEN: Sunday, November 7, 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
WHERE:
Hunterdon Art Museum, 7 Lower Center Street, Clinton
TUITION: $115; member $95 (plus $20 materials fee)

For more information or to register, please visit www.hunterdonartmuseum.org or call the Museum's Education Department at 908.735.8415 x116 or 119.

GHOSTS AND POLITICAL INTRIGUE: MUGABE DRAMA OPENS AT CENTENARY STAGE

Remember that film, The Last King of Scotland, a couple of years back? It was about Idi Amin of Uganda and a Scotsman who befriended the tyrant. Now, along comes a drama of psychological intrigue and political strife about Zimbabwe’s dictator Robert Mugabe, receiving its NJ première at Centenary Stage Company and christening the new Edith Kutz Bolte Theater at the David & Carol Lackland Center in Hackettstown. Sounds very intriguing.

Breakfast with Mugabe
By Fraser Grace
Directed by David Shookhoff (of the Manhattan Theatre Club)
WHEN: November 5–14, 2010
WHERE: Edith Kutz Bolte Theater at the David & Carol Lackland Center, Centenary College, Hackettstown
TICKETS: $20 to $25, with special discounts for seniors, students and groups. A special tradition locally for the economically-minded, Thursday evenings at CSC are “Family Nights” with 2-for-1“rush” ticket prices available at the door on the evening of the performance. Tickets are available online at http://www.centenarystageco.org/ , and at the CSC box office 908.979.0900, Monday through Friday, from 1-5 PM.

Zimbabwe strong man Robert Mugabe is haunted by ghosts. And he has an election to worry about.

Luckily, he has summoned a noted psychiatrist to help mediate the ngozi, or evil spirits, for him. But as a white, tobacco-farm-owning doctor in a land of social turmoil and economic collapse, the cost of Dr. Peric’s analysis threatens to come at grave personal expense.

First produced at the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford (directed by Anthony Sher) Breakfast with Mugabe transferred to London’s West End, and was named joint winner of the John Whiting Award for best new play of 2006. “The power the play lies in its ability to put Zimbabwe's current tragedy into a historical context,” stated Michael Billington of The Guardian, who also recognized the work as a play of “Shakespearean dimensions.”

IMG_0043 The cast will feature Michael Rogers (seen last season on Broadway in Joe Turner’s Come and Gone) as Robert Mugabe, the president who wrested control from a small white community to become Zimbabwe’s first black leader. Psychiatrist Dr. Peric will be performed by Ezra Barnes, founder and former artistic director of Shakespeare on the Sound Theatre (CT). Dr. Peric is simultaneously cajoled and threatened by the chic wife of the president, Grace Mugabe, played by Rosalyn Coleman. Chey Ayende plays the role of impenetrable bodyguard, Gabriel. Set and Sound design by Lee Savage.

MEET THE PLAYWRIGHT: A special “talk-back” with the playwright Fraser Grace and cast will take place on Sunday, November 16, following the matinee performance. Grace will travel from London to be in residence with the production November 11 -17, in Hackettstown, speaking with audiences and students.

Performances at CSC are made possible through the generous support of the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, the New Jersey State Council for the Arts, Heath Village Retirement Community, Panther Valley Pharmacy, Skylands Community Bank, Helga and Ed Coyne, Hackettstown Regional Medical Center, The Residence Inn- Marriott Mt Olive, and CSC members and sponsors.

Sunday, October 24, 2010

REVIEW: “THE OLD SETTLER” @ LUNA STAGE

Outstanding. First-rate. Top-notch. None of those words used so often by critics describe The Old Settler, Luna Stage’s inaugural production of the 2010-2011 season and the first in their new home. Glad to report, however, that not only has Luna Stage taken the seats and risers with them in their move from Montclair to the Valley Arts District of West Orange, but their professional chops and penchant for producing new, often edgy and usually thought-provoking plays remain intact, as well.

old settler luna 1 The Old Settler is a production worthy of Luna Stage’s fine reputation. Written by John Henry Redwood and deftly directed by Susan Kerner, this domestic drama tells the story of what happens over the course of about a month in 1943 when a young man from rural South Carolina rents a room in a Harlem apartment inhabited by two middle-aged sisters, one separated from her husband, the other a spinster. The sibling rivalries and sexual tensions unleashed by this living arrangement make for a poignant and intense theatrical experience, one so human that it transcends time and race to resonate with us all.

A lovely, authentic-looking, neat and tidy set designed by Robert Monaco provides the perfect backdrop for the chaotic, messy events that unfold on it. The claustrophobia of three adults living within the tight confines of a small apartment permeates Luna’s small black-box theater main stage. Evoking a fine sense of time and place, Steve Brown’s sound design incorporates such popular songs as “Take the A Train, “I Can’t Get Started” and “Lover, Where Can You Be” into the play; his use of a series of radio programs that meld one into the other is a clever way to signify the passage of time. And Debra Bergsma Otte’s costumes look as if they’ve stepped off the ages of 1943 issues of Life or Look magazines!

Redwood’s script is so well-crafted that the second act continues to maintain the dramatic tension of the first. Secrets hinted at are revealed to the audience’s surprise, and even stage business that appears to be random plays out in unexpected ways. Fortunately, the actors delivering Redwood’s dialogue are so comfortable and natural that we forget we are watching a play and instead feel like Peeping Toms sneaking a peak through the walls and windows of the apartment, much in the same way the sisters witness the goings-on in the hospital emergency room across the street.

FILM MUSIC AT THE BICKFORD

Most of the time, you’re not aware of the music in a film, except for the way it affects your reactions to what’s happening onscreen. But some music—songs, especially—have gone on to become part of the Great American Songbook! In conjunction with the Morris Museum’s  Hollywood exhibit, the Bickford Theatre presents an evening of musical delights from film:

laurahull_hirez_01 (2) Laura Hulls stars in Marquee MelodiesWHEN: Sunday, November 7, at 2:00 PMWHERE: The Bickford Theatre at the Morris Museum, 6 Normandy Heights Road in Morristown
TICKETS: $15 to $25 and can be purchased by contacting the Bickford Theatre at 973.971.3706 or visiting www.bickfordtheatre.org.

The Bickford’s 2010 “Special Concert Series” continues with Marquee Melodies: The Music of the Movies, starring acclaimed jazz vocalist Laura Hull.

Marquee Melodies offers a retrospective of rarely-heard movie music by Jerome Kern, Johnny Mercer, Irving Berlin, Harry Warren and other masters of American songwriting, and celebrates the resonance of the great music and lyrics from such classic films as To Have and Have Not, Rhythm on the River, and Song of the Thin Man.

With influences ranging from Rosemary Clooney and Carmen McRae to Patsy Cline and k.d. Lang, Laura Hull delivers an extraordinary combination of rich, sultry, and expressive vocals. A native of New York City, Laura began her musical journey performing in the resorts of upstate New York's fabled Catskill Mountains, where she learned to sing in a variety of genres and styles. After a 24-year hiatus from music to pursue a business career, Laura returned to live performance in 2004. In her many performances since, she has emerged as a melodic jazz singer with a real feel for the Great American Songbook.

Saturday, October 23, 2010

REVIEW: “COMPANY” @ MONTCLAIR OPERETTA CLUB

It’s hard to believe, but once upon a time—the 1950s, to be exact—one’s “life script” mandated early marriage, a family (two kids—a boy and a girl), a well-paying job and two cars in the garage. Then along came the sexual revolution (incited by the easy access to birth control) and the women’s movement, making sex without marriage safe and okay; so who had to get married?

In the 1970s, commitment phobia set in—afflicting mostly men—so much so that Stephen Sondheim and George Furth wrote a ground-breaking musical about it, Company, which the Montclair Operetta Club has selected as its Fall offering of the 2010-2011 season in honor of Sondheim’s eightieth birthday. The play is a first for this company, which usually mounts lavish productions with huge casts and elaborate costumes. With only 14 actors and a minimal, albeit terrific, set, director Bob Cline and musical director Judy Stanton have mounted an effort truly demonstrative MOC’s manifesto that this season be one of “growth.”

Company follows five married, once-married, or soon-to-be married couples and their mutual friend, Robert, a 35-year-old bachelor who has been unable to connect in a long-term relationship. The relationships are presented in a series of vignettes, primarily through Bobby's eyes, so that we see the less than ideal aspects of commitment. However, it is obvious to the audience that the committed are happy. Eventually, Bobby learns that while relationships aren't perfect, they are a necessary part of “Being Alive.”

Because Stephen Sondheim’s musicals are notoriously difficult—with his irregular tempos and melodies and literate lyrics that actually say something—they need truly talented singer/actors to tackle the difficult material and are not often mounted by community theater companies. But precisely because his plays are so interesting, Sondheim aficionados often will go anywhere to see one produced, even by amateurs.

DON’T MISS THE “TRAIN TO 2010” @ CROSSROADS!

Train to 2010

Friday, October 22, 2010

DREAMCATCHER PRESENTS NEW JERSEY PREMIERE OF “THIS”

This
By Melissa James Gibson
Directed by David Christopher

IMG_1507 WHEN: Friday, October 29 through Sunday, November 14, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 PM, and Sundays at 2 PM 
WHERE: The Baird, 5 Mead Street in Meadowland Park, a few blocks from the center of downtown South Orange. The facility is wheelchair accessible. Assistive Listening devices for the hearing impaired and advance large print scripts are available by prior arrangement.
TICKETS: $30 for adults, $25 for seniors and students, with special rates for subscribers and groups. To save $5, purchase tickets online at www.dreamcatcherrep.org. Students pay only $10 on First Friday, October 29, and seniors pay only $10 on Senior Sunday, the October 31 matinee.
973.378.7754, ext. 2228

DREAMCATCHER REPERTORY THEATRE, professional Theatre-in-Residence at the Baird Center in South Orange, will present the New Jersey premiere of This by Melissa James Gibson.  (Above: Harry Patrick Christian in This at Dreamcatcher. Photo by Steve McIntyre)

This is the moment in time where life turns a corner and takes a whole new direction, where the past must be surrendered and the unknown future embraced. Humor and truth pepper the exchanges between the characters in this finely crafted hit play of New York’s last season.

A group of old friends facing middle age grapple with parenthood, mortality, betrayal and what, if anything, makes their lives meaningful.  Jane is still grieving the loss of her husband to illness, and friends Marrell and Tom are feeling the strain of becoming new parents. Alan is coming to the realization that his life may be devoid of significance, brought home by the group’s new acquaintance with a French Doctor Without Borders, Jean-Pierre. They all strain to break free of the situation in which they find themselves, but the outcome threatens to destroy their friendships along with their complacency. In its 2009 premiere, the New York Times said the "dialogue sparkles with exchanges as truthful as they are clever," and called it the "best new play to open Off-Broadway this fall."

Dreamcatcher’s cast features Resident Acting Company members Nicole Callender (West Orange), Harry Patrick Christian (Montclair), Laura Ekstrand (Livingston) and Scott McGowan (Maplewood).  Completing the cast is Christopher T. Miller (New York), making his first appearance at Dreamcatcher since moving to the East Coast.  The show is directed by David Christopher (Cranford), an artist with a long career on New Jersey stages as an actor, director and teacher.

YOU’LL BE MISERABLE IF YOU MISS “LES MIZ”

Okay, I confess: I’ve seen Les Misérables three times—twice on Broadway and once in London. I have watched that concert at Albert Hall in London on television umpteen times, and I never get tired of the music. This play is true spectacle. Take your entire family (not the little ones, however) to see this show. It’s a classic of our time! Call now for good seats!

LesMis

CAMERON MACKINTOSH'S NEW 25TH ANNIVERSARY PRODUCTION OF THE WORLD'S
LONGEST-RUNNING MUSICAL
BOUBLIL AND SCHÖNBERG'S

LES MISÉRABLES

U.S. PREMIERE ENGAGEMENT EXTENDED—12 PERFORMANCES ADDED!

WHERE: Paper Mill Playhouse, 22 Brookside Drive, Millburn
WHEN: November 19–December 30; Wednesdays at 7:00 PM, Thursdays at 1:30 PM & 7:00 PM, Fridays at 7:00 PM, Saturdays at 1:30 PM & 7:00 PM and Sundays at 1:30 PM & 7:00 PM. (Extension weeks have a alternate schedule. Check Paper Mill Playhouse's website for more information regarding the extension.)
TICKETS: 25 to $92
Tickets may be purchased by calling 973.376.4343, or at the Paper Mill Box Office on Brookside Drive in Millburn, or online at Paper Mill Playhouse's brand new website: www.papermill.org. Paper Mill Playhouse gift cards, available in any denomination, can be purchased at the Paper Mill Playhouse Box Office. Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express accepted. Groups of ten or more can receive up to a 25% discount or more on tickets and should call 973.379.3636, extension 2438.

"I'm delighted that 25 years after Les Miz originally opened in London the audience for this marvelous show is bigger and younger than ever before," said producer Cameron Mackintosh. "Over the years I have seen many successful but visually different productions, so it has been exciting to draw inspiration from the brilliant drawings and paintings of Victor Hugo himself, Integrated with spectacular projections. The new Les Miz is a magnificent mix of dazzling images and epic staging, driving one of the greatest musical stories ever told."

Based on Victor Hugo's classic novel, Les Misérables is an epic and uplifting story about the survival of the human spirit. The magnificent score of Les Misérables includes the classic songs "I Dreamed a Dream," "On My Own," "Stars," "Bring Him Home," "Do You Hear the People Sing?," "One Day More," "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables," "Master Of The House" and many more.

Seen by nearly 60 million people worldwide in 42 countries and in 21 languages, Les Misérables is undisputedly one of the world's most popular musicals ever written, with new productions continually opening around the globe, with seven more currently scheduled. There have been 36 cast recordings of Les Misérables, including the multi-platinum London cast recording, the Grammy Award-winning Broadway cast and complete symphonic albums and the soon-to-be-released live recording of the New 25th Anniversary Production.

Paper Mill Playhouse's premiere of Les Misérables is generously supported by a gift from the Ferolito Family.

Thursday, October 21, 2010

REMINDER: “COMPANY” OPENS THIS WEEKEND @ MOC

Company
By Stephen Sondheim & George Furth
Directed by Bob Cline
Musical Director, Judy Stanton

 

WHEN: October 22–30, Thursday–Saturday 8 PM;Sunday, October 24 3 PM
WHERE:
Westminster Arts Center on the campus of Bloomfield College , Corner of Franklin and Fremont Streets Bloomfield, NJ
Plenty of nearby free parking
TICKETS: $25, seniors $22, students with ID $15, Bloomfield College students (with ID) $4
Call 973.744.3133 for reservations or purchase tickets online here

Stephen Sondheim (music and lyrics), George Furth (book) and Harold Prince (director) created Company in 1970 to explore the nature of commitment and relationships. Notable songs include "The Ladies Who Lunch," "Side by Side by Side" and "Being Alive."

Join Montclair Operetta Club as they celebrate the 80th birthday of theater legend Stephen Sondheim with the presentation of two of his most notable shows (Gypsy in the Spring 2011).

CELEBRATE THE DAY OF THE DEAD @ THE NEWARK MUSEUM

Celebrate the age-old traditions of Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, with live music and dance, gallery tours, and art-making workshops.  Decorate a sugar skull and a dancing skeleton, make a paper marigold and taste Mexican hot chocolate.

Latino Heritage Festival: Dia de los Muertos WHEN: Saturday, October 30, 12:30–4:30 PM
WHERE: The Newark Museum, 49 Washington Street, Newark
973.596.6699
FREE with Suggested Museum Admission (includes bilingual presentations)

mexico beyond mariachiMexico Beyond Mariachi presents
Celebración del Dia de los Muertos: La Calavera Sonriente
Performance: 2:30 PM



Day of the Dead Ofrenda (Altar)Help decorate the ofrenda for deceased loved ones.

Take Part in Exciting Workshops:

  • Decorate Sugar Skulls
  • Papel Picado (Paper Cutting)
  • Dancing Skeleton Puppets
  • Marigolds for the Ofrenda
Enjoy Scrumptious Treats:
  • Pan de Muertos (Bread of the Dead)
  • Chocolate Caliente (Mexican Hot Chocolate)
New Members Perk: Early Admission!
Come at 11 AM before activities are open to the public!  Reserve show seats, nosh and do an activity.  Call 973.596.6699 to let us know you're coming.

Arriving later in the day? Use the Members Express line.

Not yet a member? Join today!

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

NOTED CHOREOGRAPHER TALKS LIFE & ART & . . .

Bill T. Jones:
Legacies and Legends

WHEN: Friday, December 3, at 7:30 PMWHERE: NJPAC, The Chase Room, One Center Way, Newark
TICKETS: $28 general admission. Purchase online or call Box Office (Toll-Free): 888.466.5722
Spend an intimate evening with a modern dance master unlike any other. For almost three decades, Bill T. Jones and his Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company have been mesmerizing audiences around the world—and this season, Jones broke new ground when he earned his second Tony Award (for his work on Broadway’s FELA!) as well as a Kennedy Center Honor for his “lifetime contribution to American culture.” For this special Alternate Routes event, Jones will take a seat for an up-close conversation about his life, his art—and anything else he’d like to bring to the table.

WHOO! HOO! HALLOWEEN EVENTS IN MORRIS COUNTY

The Morris County Parks Department has some interesting programs for the entire family to celebrate Halloween:

Trail Tales!

Hear spooky and silly nature-themed stories told along the nighttime trails of the Great Swamp!
WHEN: Saturday, October 23, 5:30–8 PM
WHERE
: Great Swamp Outdoor Education Center, 247 Southern Blvd., Chatham Twp.
COST: $5 per person
CONTACT: 973.635.6629

Pumpkins and Pie

Pumpkin Decorating

Use natural materials to decorate a pumpkin. Enjoy old-fashioned games with a Halloween theme!
WHEN: Sunday, October 24, 1–3:30 PM
WHERE
: Fosterfields Living Historical Farm, 73 Kahdena Rd., Morris Twp.
COST: Admission
CONTACT: 973.326.7645

Spooky Trail

A Miller's Halloween

Hear spooky stories, decorate pumpkins, play old-time games, and more!
WHEN: Saturday, October 30, 1–3:30 PM
WHERE
: Cooper Gristmill, 66 Washington Tpke., Chester
COST: FREE. Donations are appreciated.
CONTACT: 908.879.5463

Historic Haunting

Enjoy Halloween fun with ghost stories, games and prizes!
WHEN: Sunday, October 31, 1–4 PM
WHERE
: Historic Speedwell, Speedwell Ave. & Cory Rd, Morristown 
COST
: Admission
CONTACT: 973.285.6550

A FUNERAL…JUST IN TIME FOR HALLOWEEN

Historic Speedwell of Morristown presents

Death and Mourning: A 19th Century Funeral

WHEN: Friday and Saturday Evening, October 29 & 30, at 6:00, 7:00, and 8:00 PM
WHERE: Historic Speedwell Village, Speedwell Avenue & Cory Road, Morristown
TICKETS: $6 for adults, $5 for seniors, $4 for children (4-16 yrs), 4 and under free.
Reservations are required. Call 973.285.6550

The Vail home at Historic Speedwell becomes the setting for a traditional 19th century funeral. Follow the horse-drawn hearse to the Vail home, and learn about the funerary customs of the time. This historically accurate event brings groups through the Vail home every hour on the hour throughout the evening.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

4th WALL THEATRE PRESENTS A SPECIAL FUNDRAISING EVENT

Come see 4th Wall favorites—and a few very special guests—sing songs
they would
NEVER, EVER get to sing in a show…
unless they were
horribly, frightfully, hilariously

clip_image001

Tuesday, November 2, 2010 at 8:00 PM

Directed by Kate Swan (of Broadway’s Beauty and the Beast)

Music Directed by Markus Hauck

All tickets only $25.00

Westminster Arts Center, Bloomfield NJ

Tickets on sale now at www.4thwalltheatre.org

Or by calling 973.748.9008, ext. 279

***NEWS FLASH – NEWS FLASH – NEWS FLASH– NEWS FLASH***

LIZ MCCARTNEY, star OF Broadway’s TABOO, SOUTH PACIFIC and MAMA MIA  has just been MISCAST

….come and join the fun with Liz.  Stayed tuned for more specials guests and surprises.

clip_image002

HALLOWEEN MEETS HOLLYWOOD IN MORRISTOWN!

More Halloween fun for the entire family at the Morris Museum:

Morris Museum Hosts Halloween Family Festival

Morris Museum Festival pumpkin painting WHEN: Saturday October 30, 11 AM – 4 PM (rain or shine)
WHERE:
6 Normandy Heights Road (at the corner of Columbia Turnpike), Morristown
HOURS: Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, 11 AM to 5 PM; Thursday, 11 AM to 8 PM; and Sunday, 1-5 PM. Admission to the museum is $10 for adults and $7 for children, students and senior citizens. Admission is free for museum members and is free to the public every Thursday between 5 and 8 PM. For more information, call 973.971.3700, or visit www.morrismuseum.org
TICKETS: The cost for the festival is $7/child, $10/adult (free for museum members), which includes admission to the museum and a 1 PM show of the movie Monsters, Inc.

Children of all ages are encouraged to come dressed in a costume, and to participate in the museum’s Halloween parades at noon and 3 PM.

Explore the museum’s current Hollywood-themed exhibitions, Icons of Costume: Hollywood’s Golden Era and Beyond and Bonus Features: Hollywood Posters, Props and Personalities. Costumes and props on display which are of special interest to children include:  the Robin mask worn by Chris O’Donnell in the movie Batman & Robin; a replica of the blue and white gingham pinafore worn by Judy Garland in The Wizard of Oz; and a “Shirley Temple dress” for a young girl, identical to a dress worn by Shirley Temple in 1933.

Then participate in a variety of fun drop-in activities:

  • Pumpkin painting
  • Create your own costume jewelry
  • Design a masquerade mask
  • Make a spider
  • Create a spooky ghost
  • Face painting
  • Take a family picture in a wooden cut-out of The Wizard of Oz characters
  • Enjoy the movie Monsters, Inc. at 1 PM

Large groups are welcome. For more information, please call 973.971.3718.

About the Morris Museum
The Morris Museum explores and celebrates the arts, sciences and humanities through exhibitions, educational programs, performing arts and special events. Founded in 1913, the museum serves over 200,000 adults and children each year. These programs are made possible, in part, by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts.

HALLOWEEN IS JUST AN ILLUSION @ RVCC

hol_halloween3_dvr1 Princesses, Vampires, Fairies & Firemen! Come to the show dressed in your Halloween costume and receive a treat!

 

Theatre of Illusion
RVCC HALLOWEEN1 The Spencers
WHEN:
Friday, Oct. 29, at 7 PM
WHERE:
The Theatre at RVCC, 118 Lamington Road, Branchburg
TICKETS: $25


spencers 3 You will cross over a threshold of disbelief mere moments after the Spencers take the stage. Theirs is a place where artistry and theatre converge; where intellect and amazement collide; and where impossibility and inspiration are inseparable. Winners of the 2009 International Magician of the Year Award!

DANCE OUT TO SOMERSET COUNTY THIS WEEKEND

DancesGarden 1 rvcc

Dances from the Garden
Carolyn Dorfman Dance Company, Terra Firma Dance Theatre, Randy James Dance Works and Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company

WHEN: Saturday, October 23, at 2 & 8 PM
WHERE:
The Theatre at Raritan Valley Community College, 118 Lamington Road, Branchburg
Box Office: M-F, 11-4, 908.725.3420
TICKETS: $20 & $25

DancesGarden2 rvcc Dances from the Garden is RVCC’s second annual celebration of choreographers from the Garden State. The 2010 edition features performances by four different New Jersey dance companies: Carolyn Dorfman Dance Company; Terra Firma Dance Theatre; Randy James Dance Works; and Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company.

Since 1982, Carolyn Dorfman Dance Company’s high-energy and technically demanding repertory has used movement as metaphor to take audiences on what one reviewer described as, "intellectual and emotional journeys."

DancesGarden3 rvcc Terra Firma Dance Theatre, under the guidance of Artistic Director Stuart Loungway, serves as a cultural think-tank for the dance landscape. As a rapidly rising contemporary ballet company, the core of their work focuses on movement as the primary language of basic human interaction.

“Typically James' Dancers don't hold anything back. They perform with an intensity that frightens, yet it is their dramatic subtlety that makes [it] so convincing. “—Robert Johnson, Star-Ledger

A blossom of color, energy and motion, "like endlessly proliferating forces of cosmic energy," says the New York Times. The dances of Nai-Ni Chen fuse the dynamic freedom of American modern dance with the grace and splendor of Asian art. The Company's productions take the audience beyond cultural boundaries to where tradition meets innovation and freedom arises from discipline.