Straight No Chaser
WHEN: Wednesday, February 13, 2013 at 8 PM
WHERE: Mayo Center for the Performing Arts, 100 South St., Morristown
TICKETS: $39-79
Box office 973.539.8008; online: www.mayoarts.org
If the phrase “male a cappella group” conjures up an image of students in blue blazers, ties, and khakis singing traditional college songs on ivied campuses… think again. Straight No Chaser is neither strait-laced nor straight-faced, but neither is their vaudeville-style kitsch. As original member Randy Stine comments, “We take the music very seriously; we just don’t take ourselves too seriously.” In the process, they are reinventing the idea of a cappella on the modern pop landscape.
Originally formed over a dozen years ago while students together at Indiana University, the group has reassembled and reemerged as a phenomenon - with a massive fanbase, more than 20 million views on YouTube, numerous national TV appearances. On the road, Straight No Chaser has built a reputation as an unforgettable live act. Even after all the success, the members of Straight No Chaser don’t take anything for granted: “To think that the ten of us could go our separate ways after college, start professional lives, and then commit to putting SNC back together after all these years is nothing short of a minor miracle,” said original member Charlie Mechling. “With each opportunity to perform that comes our way, we are reminded of how fortunate and blessed we are to be able to do what we love to do."
From New York with Love Starring Liz Callaway and Friends
WHEN:Thursday, February 14 at 8 PM
WHERE: Mayo Center for the Performing Arts, 100 South St., Morristown
TICKETS: $29-49
Box office 973.539.8008; online: www.mayoarts.org
Join us for a special Valentine’s Day concert straight from the New York City cabaret scene, starring Liz Callaway (Cats, Miss Saigon), with Anthony and Will Nunziata, Ben Crawford (Shrek the Musical), Christina Bianco (Newsical) and Nikki Renee Daniels (Porgy & Bess).
Liz Callaway is a Tony®-Nominee and Emmy Award-winning actress, singer and recording artist. She made her Broadway debut in Stephen Sondheim's Merrily We Roll Along, received a Tony Award nomination for her performance in Baby, and for five years, won acclaim as Grizabella in Cats. She has also starred in the original casts of Miss Saigon, The Three Musketeers, and The Look of Love.
The Official Blues Brothers Revue
WHEN: Friday, February 15 at 8 PM
WHERE: Mayo Center for the Performing Arts, 100 South St., Morristown
TICKETS: $29-59
Box office 973.539.8008; online: www.mayoarts.org
The Official Blues Brothers Revue bursts onto the stage at Mayo Performing Arts Center for a one-of-a-kind stage show that faithfully recreates the magic of the Blues Brothers including the music, comic antics and affectionate character quirks that made blues fans out of millions of rockers in the 1970s and ‘80s. The show boasts Blues Brothers staples like She Caught The Katy, Shake A Tail Feather , Minnie The Moocher, Sweet Home Chicago, Messin' With The Kid, Rubber Biscuit, Soul Man, I Can't Turn You Loose and a host of other tunes from the five popular albums recorded by John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd.
A band of crack blues musicians and singers perform the music with all the soul, skill and playfulness of the original Blues Brothers Band while Wayne Catania and Kieron Lafferty command center stage as Jake and Elwood.
Wayne Catania, who plays the eccentric Jake Blues, began his entertainment career in the mid 1970’s as a drummer and vocalist touring rock and R&B bands and gradually established the compelling stage persona that is now his trademark. Writing and recording for movie soundtracks established him as a popular writer, drummer and vocalist. He is also a successful actor and can be seen in Relic Hunter, Doc and 15 Minute Death.
Kieron Lafferty plays the harmonica virtuoso Elwood Blues. As a kid, this Toronto musician/singer/songwriter sneaked into his father's nightclub and witnessed great groups like Sam & Dave, CCR and the Doors and spent his youth playing the blues, R&B and jazz circuits. He has released several CDs, including the critically praised 'Sensible Religion' and 'Seven Sisters’ and performed in several independent art films including the Sci-Fi musical Synchronicity and in A&E’s Lost in Las Vegas.
Mayo Performing Arts Center, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, presents a wide range of programs that entertain, enrich, and educate the diverse population of the region and enhance the economic vitality of Northern New Jersey. The 2012-2013 season is made possible, in part, by a grant from the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, as well as support received from the F.M. Kirby Foundation and numerous corporations, foundations and individuals. The Mayo Performing Arts Center has been designated a Major Presenting Organization by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts.
