NOVEMBER EVENTS @ THE STATE THEATRE IN NEW BRUNSWICK

I used to go to the State Theatre in New Brunswick as a kid (in the 1950s) to see first-run movies! Now, it’s a house that hosts big names and a wide variety of shows, mostly for one performance only. Here are some events they’ve planned for this month.

WHERE: State Theatre, 11 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ 08901
TICKETS: call 732.246.SHOW or online: http://www.statetheatrenj.org/

Benise: The Spanish GuitarPresented by State Theatre and AM Productions
WHEN: Saturday, November 13, 2010, at 8 PMTICKETS: $27-62
Benise, and his Emmy Award-winning PBS Special Nights of Fire cast, return with a new world music and dance production, The Spanish Guitar. While taking place on an ever changing stage, Benise’s new show will feature real video footage from his travels around the globe. The cultures and experiences Benise encountered on his voyage were the inspiration for the new music, dance, and costumes featured in The Spanish Guitar. 

The Spanish Guitar is an epic tale that will transport the audience to such exotic places as a Parisian café, a Flamenco Tapas Bar in Spain, an Arabian desert, a Venetian Masquerade ball, and the cobblestone streets of Old Havana. This new show will feature Benise’s guitar as protagonist, as it becomes the keeper of the stories of glory and tragedy through time and worlds gone by. Brilliantly choreographed dance numbers and orchestral pieces accompany the stories that were sealed inside this magical instrument.  Benise’s The Spanish Guitar takes us on a deeply personal journey to worlds both far and away and reminds us that hope can be the healing thread in all our lives.  

The dancers in The Spanish Guitar were carefully handpicked from a global pool of some of the most brilliantly diverse talent to be found. Traditional Flamenco dancers, Broadway performers, and soloists previously featured with the likes of Madonna, Gloria Estefan, and Ricky Martin, have all joined forces to make up Benise’s female dancers—The Gitanas. Great additions to The Spanish Guitar will be appearances from guest artist and vocalist, from her own PBS special, Giorgia Fumanti, and the return of renowned violinist Karen Briggs.

In the MoodSunday, November 14, 2010, at 3 PMTICKETS: $32-52More than a concert, In the Mood is a Big Band theatrical swing revue. Featuring the String of Pearls Big Band Orchestra, boogie-woogie singers, and swing dancers, In The Mood is a retro 1940’s musical experience paying homage to the music that moved our nation’s spirit. Featuring the music of Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey, Artie Shaw, Benny Goodman, Harry James, Erskine Hawkins, The Andrews Sisters, Frank Sinatra, and more.
The Passing ZoneSunday, November 21, 2010 at 3 PM
TICKETS: $15-35
Veteran jugglers Jon Wee and Owen Morse are blowing audiences away with their award-winning performance, which has earned them appearances on The Tonight Show, four Guinness World Records, and an invitation to The White House. Roaring chainsaws fly through the air. The guys zip around the stage on segway scooters. People from the audience become part of the show, having razorsharp sickles thrown around them, or being hooked to cables and swung around the stage dressed as astronauts. Comedy, juggling and dangerous stunts make up this unforgettable and hilarious experience.