State Theatre Presents
Bill Engvall
Friday, October 4, 2013, 7:30pm and 10pm / $75, $65, $55, $45, $35
Ticket Office: 732-246-SHOW (7469)
New Brunswick, NJ —State Theatre presents comedian Bill Engvall on Friday October 4, 2013 at 7:30pm and 10pm. Tickets range from $35-75.
Bill Engvall, known for his signature “Here’s Your Sign” bit, was a member of the very popular Blue Collar comedy group alongside Jeff Foxworthy, Larry the Cable Guy, and Ron White.
Recently announced, Engvall has been added to Season 17 of ABC’s Dancing with the Stars, which premiered on September 16th. His partner is professional dancer and newcomer to the show, Emma Slater.
For 15 consecutive weeks, Engvall held the #1 Billboard spot on the Comedy Chart with his platinum album Here’s Your Sign. His second album, Dorkfish,ranked #1 on the Billboard for comedy albums as well, and was certified gold. His other albums, including 15o Off Cool and Aged and Confused, also debuted at #1 on the Billboard Comedy Chart. Engvall starred in his self-titled TBS sitcom for three seasons. He has also been in the USA Network movie Bait Shopwith Billy Ray Cyrus. Engvall hosted several TV shows (Lingo, Mobile Home Disasters), and has acted in feature films such as Strawberry Wine with Christina Ricci and Bed and Breakfast with Dean Cain.
In 1992, he won the American Comedy Award for “Best Male Stand-Up Comedian.” Engvall has written several books, including his successful 2007 autobiography entitled Bill Engvall – Just a Guy.
For tickets or more information, call the State Theatre ticket office at 732-246-SHOW (7469), or visit us online at www.StateTheatreNJ.org. The StateTheatre ticket office, located at 15 Livingston Ave, New Brunswick NJ, is open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, 10am to 6pm; Wednesday 11am to 7pm; Saturday, 1pm-5pm; and at least three hours prior to curtain on performance dates, unless otherwise specified. For information on group outings and discounts, call 732-247-7200, ext. 517. Some additional ticket and transaction fees may apply.
State Theatre, a premier nonprofit venue for the performing arts and entertainment. The theater exists to enrich people’s lives, contribute to a vital urban environment, and build future audiences by presenting the finest performing artists and entertainers and fostering lifetime appreciation for the performing arts through education. The State Theatre’s programs are made possible, in part, by funding from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, and contributions from numerous corporations, foundations, and individuals. The Heldrich is the official hotel of the State Theatre. Magic 98.3 is the official radio station of the State Theatre. The Star-Ledger is the official newspaper of the State Theatre. United is the official airline of the State Theatre.
Bill Engvall
Fri, October 4 at 7:30pm and 10pm
$75, $65, $55, $45, $35
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State Theatre and WillJam Producions present
Golden Oldies Spectacular
Featuring
Lou Christie
Kenny Vance and the Planotones
The Duprees
Shirley Alston Reeves
Freddy “Boom Boom” Cannon
The Yesterdaze
Sat, October 5, 2013, 7:30pm / $85, $75, $55, $45, $35
Ticket Office: 732-246-SHOW (7469)
New Brunswick, NJ —State Theatre presents Golden Oldies Spectacular featuring Lou Christie, Kenny Vance and the Planotones, The Duprees, Shirley Alston Reeves, Freddy “Boom Boom” Cannon, and The Yesterdaze on Saturday, October 5, 2013 at 7:30pm. Tickets range from $35-85.
“Lightning” Lou Christie, who still possesses his incredible three octave vocal range and amazing on-stage charisma, was one of the first teen idols to write his own songs (with collaboration from Twyla Herbert who was 20 years his senior). He had two gold records, “The Gypsy Cried” and “Two Faces Have I” in 1963 before his 2 ½ year stint in the army.
After serving, he came back strong with his biggest hit, “Lightning Strikes,” which hit #1 on the charts on his 23rd birthday. His next hit, “Rhapsody in the Rain,” was inspired by Tchaikovsky’s “Romeo and Juliet” and was banned from many stations due to suggestive lyrics. Christie was a frequent performer on Dick Clark’s Cavalcade of Stars tours and performed often on TV shows such as American Bandstand and Where the Action Is. His final hit of the 1960s was a top ten smash: “I’m Gonna Make You Mine,” which also went to #2 in the UK. In most of his hits, the verses were sung in normal registers and shifted dramatically to his soaring falsetto on the choruses.
In the early 1970s, Christie spent most of his time in London where Elton John was his piano player. He married UK beauty queen Francesca Winfield and wrote and sang “Beyond the Blue Horizon” for the movie Monte Carlo, and the song was also used prominently in the hit movie Rain Man.
Brooklyn-born Kenny Vance founded the band Harbor Lites at age 15 and recorded two singles with them in 1959. He then founded Jay and the Americans who went on the record 15 albums and 12 top 10 hits, starting with “She Cried” in 1962. Vance spent most of his time at the Brill Building, Manhattan’s music mecca, where Leiber and Stoller signed Jay and the Americans to United Artists Records. They were the opening act on the first American performances of the Beatles and the Rolling Stones.
Vance is the renaissance man of rock-n-roll: singer, songwriter, musical producer, actor, and manager. In fact, he became manager of the songwriting duo of Walter Becker and Donald Fagen, who joined Jay and the Americans and later formed one of the best-selling and critically acclaimed bands of the 1970s—Steely Dan.
A lot of Vance’s most recognizable work was in movies for which he wrote the music, including Hairspray, Eddie and the Cruisers (album went triple platinum), Animal House (platinum album), and American Hot Wax, for which he wrote the score, produced the soundtrack album (which went top 40), and appeared in the movie as Professor La Plano, leading his fictional band, “The Planotones.” In 1999, he wrote the entire soundtrack for the film Looking for an Echo and was the actual singing voice of Armand Assante in the movie. He was also musical director of Saturday Night Live in 1980-81. In 1992, Vance formed a real Kenny Vance and The Planotones. While continuing to write and record, their mission is to “keep the music alive,” and their incredible stage show has made Kenny Vance and the Planotones one of the most in demand acts on the oldies circuit.
New Jersey’s own, The Duprees, are known throughout the world for their unmistakable vocal harmonies and romantic interpretations of the most beautiful love songs ever written. Their sound brings back memories of Glenn Miller, Frank Sinatra, and Nat King Cole. Their version of Jo Stafford’s ballad “You Belong to Me” was their first million-seller in 1962, followed by such hits as “Why Don’t You Believe Me,” “Have You Heard,” “I’m Yours,” and “Exodus.” Mark Baron, the band’s musical director, wrote the music for the Broadway show Frankenstein the Musical. The Duprees were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2006.
Lead singer Shirley Alston Reeves formed the Shirelles while attending Passaic High School in New Jersey. They were still in high school when they wrote and recorded their first hit, “I Met Him on a Sunday.” The Shirelles’ sound bridged doowop and uptown New York soul. Their songs were a beguiling mixture of tenderness and innocence that was grounded in R&B as much as in pop/rock. The group had seven top 10 singles, many of them written by Shirley, including “Mama Said,”“ Tonight’s the Night”, “Baby It’s You” (written by Burt Bacharach), “Dedicated to the One I Love,” “Foolish Little Girl,” “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow,” (written by Carole King, the first “girl group” song to go to #1 on the charts – 1960) and “Soldier Boy” (also a #1 hit). Many artists, from the Mamas and Papas, Dusty Springfield, Roberta Flack, Manfred Mann, and even The Beatles (“Baby It’s You” and “Boys”) covered songs made famous by the Shirelles. Reeves also appeared in many TV commercials, including the first rock-n-roll Coke commercial, Wendy’s, and Pepto-Bismol. Reeves was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996.
Freddy “Boom Boom” Cannon, a Massachusetts native, was a fan of rhythm and blues and learned to play guitar at an early age. Inspired by his father, a trumpet player who sang in a local band and his mother who helped him write songs, Freddy, at age 16, was the guitar player on the G-Clefs hit “Ka-Ding Dong.” In 1958, he was a regular on the Boston Ballroom TV show and was managed by Boston dj Jack McDermott. His first hit, “Tallahassee Lassie,” peaked at #6 on the charts and was the first of his 22 songs to hit the Billboard charts. His next hit, “Way Down Yonder in New Orleans,” reached #3 on both the U.S. and UK charts. His album, The Explosive Freddy Cannon, was the first American rock and roll album to top the British album charts.
Starting in 1959, Cannon made a record-breaking 110 appearances on Dick Clark’s American Bandstand and joined the Cavalcade of Stars tours. Other hits included “Chattanooga Shoe Shine Boy,” “Palisades Park,” (#3 hit written by Chuck Barris who hosted TV’s Gong Show), “Transistor Sister,” “Abigail Beacher,” and “Action” (theme song of the TV show Where the Action Is). Cannon also appeared in various movies, including the UK produced Just for Funand Village of the Giants, which featured a young Beau Bridges and Ron Howard. He also appeared on the TV soap opera Never Too Young.
Opening the show are The Yesterdaze, New Jersey’s premier oldies band.
For tickets or more information, call the State Theatre ticket office at 732-246-SHOW (7469), or visit us online at www.StateTheatreNJ.org. The State Theatreticket office, located at 15 Livingston Ave, New Brunswick NJ, is open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, 10am to 6pm; Wednesday 11am to 7pm; Saturday 1pm to 5pm; and at least three hours prior to curtain on performance dates unless otherwise specified. For information on group outings and discounts, call732-247-7200, ext. 517. Some additional ticket and transaction fees may apply.
State Theatre, a premier nonprofit venue for the performing arts and entertainment. The theater exists to enrich people’s lives, contribute to a vital urban environment, and build future audiences by presenting the finest performing artists and entertainers and fostering lifetime appreciation for the performing arts through education. The State Theatre’s programs are made possible, in part, by funding from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, and contributions from numerous corporations, foundations, and individuals. The Heldrich is the official hotel of the State Theatre. Magic 98.3 is the official radio station of the State Theatre. The Star-Ledger is the official newspaper of the State Theatre. United is the official airline of the State Theatre
Golden Oldies Spectacular
Featuring
Lou Christie
Kenny Vance and the Planotones
The Duprees
Shirley Alston Reeves
Freddy “Boom Boom” Cannon
The Yesterdaze
Sat, October 5 at 7:30pm
$85, $75, $55, $45, $35
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State Theatre presents
Broadway Romance
Todd Ellison’s Broadway in Concert
Featuring Broadway singers
Klea Blackhurst, Peter Lockyer, Elena Shaddow, and Keith Spencer
Also starring Music Director Todd Ellison and a 3-piece Band
Sunday, October 6, 2013, 3pm / $50, $45, $40, $35, $25
Ticket Office: 732-246-SHOW (7469)
New Brunswick, NJ —State Theatre presents Broadway Romance featuring Broadway singers Klea Blackhurst, Peter Lockyer, Elena Shaddow, and Keith Spencer on Sunday, October 6, 2013 at 3pm. Featuring Broadway singers, a 3-piece band, and Music Director Todd Ellison, Broadway Romance is part of a 3-part collaborative Broadway in Concert series, presented by State Theatre and Todd Ellison. The Broadway in Concert series is sponsored by Investors Bank. Tickets range from $25-50.
The Broadway Romance program will include songs from Phantom of the Opera, Man of La Mancha, South Pacific, and more. Featured Broadway singers includeKlea Blackhurst (Hello Dolly, The Nutty Professor), Peter Lockyer (Les Misérables, Miss Saigon), Elena Shaddow (The Bridges of Madison County, La Cage Aux Folles), and Keith Spencer (A Connecticut Yankee, A Little Night Music).
Todd Ellison
Hailed by The New York Times as one of “Broadway’s electric conductors,” Ellison is one of the most accomplished and sought after music directors working today. Currently Music Director and Conductor of the new Broadway production of Annie, his credits include Monty Python’s Spamalot (Best Musical Tony®Award), La Cage aux Folles (Best Musical Revival Tony® Award), 42nd Street (Best Revival Tony® Award), Elton John’s Lestat, Michel Legrand’s Amour,The Wild Party, On The Town, Once Upon a Mattress (starring Sarah Jessica Parker), and How To Succeed (starring Matthew Broderick).
He was the Music Director of the Radio City Christmas Spectacular at the famed Radio City Music Hall for several seasons. As Marvin Hamlisch’s Music Director, Ellison worked with him on his productions of Ballroom and The Nutty Professor directed by Jerry Lewis. For City Center’s Encores!, he conducted their acclaimed version of On The Town and was a guest pianist for No No, Nanette. Internationally he has conducted at the Vienna Konzerthaus with Dawn Upshaw and Jerry Hadley, The Dublin Film Orchestra, Radio City Christmas Spectacular -Mexico City, World Science Festival -Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall – Cole Porters’ Jubilee.
He has conducted over 20 albums including the Grammy® Award-winning cast albums of his shows. He has accompanied such stars as Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman, Barry Manilow, Tyne Daly, Bea Arthur, David Hyde Pierce, Tim Curry, and Kelsey Grammar.
Klea Blackhurst
Klea Blackhurst recently starred in The Goodspeed Opera’s 50 Anniversary production of Hello, Dolly!. She created the role of Miss Lemon in the musical The Nutty Professor. Theatre credits include: NY- A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Bingo, By Jupiter; Regional – Call Me Madam, Chicago, Anything Goes, and the 2012 critically acclaimed Drury Lane production of Gypsy in Chicago. Her TV/radio credits include Onion News Network, L&O: SVU, Sesame Street, A Prairie Home Companion.
Peter Lockyer
Peter Lockyer debuted on Broadway in the Dutch production of Cyrano the Musical. He recently played Jean Valjean in the 25th Anniversary tour of Les Misérables. His other credits include Chris in Miss Saigon, both on Broadway and in the first national tour, and Marius in the 10th Anniversary production ofLes Misérables on Broadway and in Les Misérables’ China premiere. He was featured in a revival of South Pacific, and was a cast member of Broadway’s The Phantom of the Opera. On TV, Lockyer played Yonkers in the CBS telefilm Gypsy.
Elena Shaddow
Elena Shaddow most recent credits include Francesca Johnson in The Bridges of Madison County and Anne Dindon in the Broadway revival of La Cage Aux Folles. Her past Broadway productions include The Woman in White, Fiddler on the Roof, Nine, Sweet Smell of Success, and Les Misérables. Other credits include Clara Johnson in the first national tour of The Light in the Piazza, Maria in The Sound of Music, Olivia in Twelfth Night, and Cecily in The Importance of Being Earnest.
Keith Spencer
Keith Spencer’s musical theater credits include A Little Night Music, Kiss Me Kate, The Sound of Music, Carousel, The Music Man, and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. He has appeared on Broadway in A Connecticut Yankee and Broadway Bash. He has also recorded voiceovers for television and radio, including SpongeBob SquarePants.
The media sponsor for the Broadway in Concert series is The Star-Ledger.
For tickets or more information, call the State Theatre ticket office at 732-246-SHOW (7469), or visit us online at www.StateTheatreNJ.org. The StateTheatre ticket office, located at 15 Livingston Ave, New Brunswick NJ, is open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, 10am to 6pm; Wednesday 11am to 7pm; Saturday, 1pm-5pm; and at least three hours prior to curtain on performance dates, unless otherwise specified. For information on group outings and discounts, call 732-247-7200, ext. 517. Some additional ticket and transaction fees may apply.
State Theatre, a premier nonprofit venue for the performing arts and entertainment. The theater exists to enrich people’s lives, contribute to a vital urban environment, and build future audiences by presenting the finest performing artists and entertainers and fostering lifetime appreciation for the performing arts through education. The State Theatre’s programs are made possible, in part, by funding from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, and contributions from numerous corporations, foundations, and individuals. The Heldrich is the official hotel of the State Theatre. Magic 98.3 is the official radio station of the State Theatre. The Star-Ledger is the official newspaper of the State Theatre. United is the official airline of the State Theatre.
Broadway Romance
Todd Ellison’s Broadway in Concert
Sun, October 6, 2013, 3pm
$50, $45, $40, $35, $25
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State Theatre presents the
October Premiere of
Romeo and Juliet
Friday, October 11, 2013, 8pm / $57, $52, $42, $37, $27
Ticket Office: 732-246-SHOW (7469)
New Brunswick, NJ —State Theatre presents the premiere of American Repertory Ballet in Artistic Director Douglas Martin’s full-length Romeo and Juliet, with Prokofiev’s score performed live by the Rutgers Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Maestro Kynan Johns, onFriday, October 11, 2013 at 8pm. Tickets range from $27-57.
Based on Shakespeare’s tragic story, Martin’s version of the ballet features a company of 30 dancers, sets by scenic designer Kevin Lee Allen, and costumes designed by Michelle Ferranti. Scenic and costume design has been executed with careful attention to the aesthetic of what is now known as the early Renaissance era in Italy.
In her review of a spring 2012 preview performance, Marina Kennedy of Broadway World calls the production “an outstanding example of dance being perfectly adapted to dramatic interpretation, with the ARB dancers in full command of their art.”
“We are thrilled to premiere our full length production of Romeo and Juliet with a live orchestra,” says Martin. “This extraordinary music and dance collaboration not only enhances the audience’s experience of Prokofiev’s extraordinary score, but also highlights the ephemeral interaction of dance and music. Dancers will be responding to and interpreting the music as the musicians play it, bonding the two art forms moment by moment in this dynamic performance.”
NY-based dance critic Jerry Hochman of CriticalDance and Ballet-Dance Magazine characterizes Martin’s masterwork as “an ambitious production…emotionally and artistically fulfilling…exuberant and exciting to watch…[and] invit[ing] comparisons to other well-known productions,…including…that of Sir Kenneth MacMillan.”
“The duets between Juliet and Romeo—in particular, the critical balcony scene,” Hochman continues, “are choreographed, and were executed, with the combination of rapture and conviction, that quality of being genuine, that is necessary to make the audience feel what the dancers feel, and to respond with the cathartic release that prompts appreciative, as opposed to obligatory, applause.”
For tickets or more information, call the State Theatre ticket office at 732-246-SHOW (7469), or visit us online at www.StateTheatreNJ.org. The StateTheatre ticket office, located at 15 Livingston Ave, New Brunswick NJ, is open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, 10am to 6pm; Wednesday 11am to7pm; Saturday, 1pm to 5pm; and at least three hours prior to curtain on performance dates, unless otherwise specified. For information on group outings and discounts, call 732-247-7200, ext. 517. Some additional ticket and transaction fees may apply.
State Theatre, a premier nonprofit venue for the performing arts and entertainment. The theater exists to enrich people’s lives, contribute to a vital urban environment, and build future audiences by presenting the finest performing artists and entertainers and fostering lifetime appreciation for the performing arts through education. The State Theatre’s programs are made possible, in part, by funding from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, and contributions from numerous corporations, foundations, and individuals. The Heldrich is the official hotel of the State Theatre. Magic 98.3 is the official radio station of the StateTheatre. The Star-Ledger is the official newspaper of the State Theatre. United is the official airline of the State Theatre.
State Theatre presents the October Premiere of
Romeo and Juliet
Fri, October 11, 2013, 8pm
$57, $52, $42, $37, $27
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State Theatre presents
Cyndi Lauper
She’s So Unusual Tour
With Special Guest Hunter Valentine
Wednesday, October 23, 2013, 8pm / $75, $65, $55, $45, $35
Ticket Office: 732-246-SHOW (7469)
New Brunswick, NJ —State Theatre presents Cyndi Lauper – She’s So Unusual Tour on Wednesday, October 23, 2013 at 8pm. TheGrammy® and recently, Tony® Award-winning artist will perform the entire She’s So Unusual album plus other greatest hits. Lauper’s hits include “Girls Just Want to Have Fun,” “True Colors,” and “Time After Time.” Tickets go on sale to the general public on Friday, August 23 at 10am. Tickets range from $35-75.
Since her debut, Lauper has sold more than 50 million records worldwide and released 40-plus singles. This is a big year for Lauper, who, in addition to her tour, stars in her WETV reality show, Cyndi Lauper: Still So Unusual; won six Tony® Awards for her Broadway musical Kinky Boots; and is celebrating the success of her New York Times best-selling autobiography, and her philanthropic work via The True Colors Fund.
Hunter Valentine
All-female Canadian rock band Hunter Valentine make their State Theatre debut. Touring 200+ dates a year, the band’s music is an assorted mix of punk, indie-pop, and hard-hitting rock. The band’s third album, Collide and Conquer, released in 2012 was produced by famed Canadian producer Greig Nori, best known for his hit-making influences on the band Sum 41 and Iggy Pop. Also in 2012, the members of Hunter Valentine were featured in the Showtime reality TV series, The Real L Word. Hunter Valentine is Kiyomi McCloskey (vocalist/guitar), Laura Petracca (drums), Aimee Bessada (guitar), and Leanne Bowes (bass).
For tickets or more information, call the State Theatre ticket office at 732-246-SHOW (7469), or visit us online at www.StateTheatreNJ.org. The State Theatreticket office, located at 15 Livingston Ave, New Brunswick NJ, is open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, 10am to 6pm; Wednesday 11am to 7pm; Friday, 10am-5pm; and at least three hours prior to curtain on performance dates, unless otherwise specified. For information on group outings and discounts, call 732-247-7200, ext. 517. Some additional ticket and transaction fees may apply.
State Theatre, a premier nonprofit venue for the performing arts and entertainment. The theater exists to enrich people’s lives, contribute to a vital urban environment, and build future audiences by presenting the finest performing artists and entertainers and fostering lifetime appreciation for the performing arts through education. The State Theatre’s programs are made possible, in part, by funding from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, and contributions from numerous corporations, foundations, and individuals. The Heldrich is the official hotel of the State Theatre. Magic 98.3 is the official radio station of the State Theatre. The Star-Ledger is the official newspaper of the State Theatre.
Cyndi Lauper
She’s So Unusual Tour
With Special Guest Hunter Valentine
Wed, October 23, 2013, 8pm
$75, $65, $55, $45, $35
STATE THEATRE
15 Livingston Ave
New Brunswick, NJ 08901
Ticket Office – 732-246-SHOW (7469)
Online - www.StateTheatreNJ.org