Imagine yourself in an intimate place, absorbing the glorious sound of music or laughing to the comedian’s antics while surrounded by the inspiring colors and forms of works of art! The Upper Gallery has 12-foot ceilings, superb acoustics, and a seating capacity of 100.
Great Jazz Series
Five Play from DIVA
Friday, May 9, 8 p.m.
Five Play, the dynamically spirited “Sister Group of the 15-member all-women DIVA Jazz Orchestra,” produce a rich sound filled with joyous energy. They will be performing their wide range of jazz from big band arrangements to straight ahead and their own original compositions. Five Play has particpated in major festivals in Israel, France, Spain and Portugal and at Carnegie Hall and The Kennedy Center. An international quintet, Five Play is led by Sherrie Maricle (U.S.) on drums, with Anat Cohen (Israel) on tenor saxophone, Tomoko Ohno (Japan) on piano, Jami Dauber (U.S.) on trumpet and flugelhorn, and Noriko Ueda (Japan) on bass.
Tickets are $20 ($18 for WAC members). You may purchase tickets securely using PayPal from our Great Jazz Series Ticket Reservation page. For more information call 908-753-0190 or e-mail us.
Gerry Niewood Trio with Coleman Mellett
Friday, May 16, 8 p.m.
Gerry Niewood, tenor saxophonist, has performed and toured worldwide with Liza Minnelli for twenty years and Chuck Mangione since 1967. With his beautifully lyrical, rhythmically strong saxophone, Niewood will be joined by guitarist Coleman Mellet. Coleman Mellett who also performs with Chuck Mangione.
Niewood has also shared the stage with Lena Horn, Peggy Lee, T.S. Monk, Gerry Mulligan, Gil Evans, Simon and Garfunkel, Anne Murray and Sinead O’Connor. Performing on many film soundtracks, Niewood’s saxophone can be heard in “A Bronx Tale,” and his woodwinds in the orchestra for “When Harry Met Sally,” “Annie,” “Shining Through,” “National Lampoon Goes to the Movies,” and “King of Comedy.” Niewood, first saxophonist of the Radio City Music Hall Orchestra, performed with Claudio Roditi this January at the Watchung Arts Center.
Tickets are $18 ($16 for WAC members). You may purchase tickets securely using PayPal from our Great Jazz Series Ticket Reservation page. For more information call 908-753-0190 or e-mail us.
“Powerful Women of Song”
Ellis
Saturday, June 7, 8 p.m.
Ellis is a rising star on the folk music circuit, creating a buzz after being voted “Most Wanted to Return” and performing on the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival preview tour. This talented singer, songwriter and guitarist has since been invited back to several première listening rooms. She has also been asked to open for several established artists such as Patty Larkin, Richard Shindell, Cheryl Wheeler, and Todd Snider.
Ellis has a wealth of accomplishments including songwriting and performance awards, but even more outstanding is her sincere graciousness and ability to remain down to earth while her career is riding high. Known for her vibrant and open-hearted nature and contagious sense of humor, Ellis’ music is described as joyful, unpretentious modern folk with a slight hint of country inspired by her southern roots.
Although she tours nationally more than 130 dates each year, she continues to retain a devoted following in Minneapolis where she was voted Best Musician for five consecutive years and named 2007 Best Musical Artist by readers of the Minnesota Women’s Press. She is also a favorite on college campuses, and in 2006 students nominated her Best Female Performer in Campus Activities Magazine.
Tickets are $16 ($14 for WAC members). You may purchase tickets in advance. For more information call 908-753-0190 or e-mail us.
Comedy
The Improvables
Saturdays, May 10 and June 14, 8 p.m.
The Improvables have been entertaining local audiences at the Watchung Art Center since 2003. This zany group provides audiences with outlandish humor, surprises, and an all-around great time. Each show consists of a series of “games” in which the performers have to act out various scenarios without knowing in advance what they are going to say or how things are going to turn out. It is the audience that often sets the scenes for the players on-the-spot, and audience members may also be pulled in to join in the fun! Join Improvable members Howard Berkowitz, Michele Kerekes, David Kritz, Phil Hochman, and Randi Schweriner for another round of special family-friendly performances! The shows are geared for kids 10 and up and parents, and sell-out quick!
All tickets are $8. Reservations must be made in advance due to the popularity of the event. For reservations or more information, call 908-753-0190 or click here to e-mail us.
Special Comedy Night
Saturday, May 17, 8 p.m.
The Watchung Arts Center is pleased to bring you a special night of comedy — featuring D.F. Sweedler and Bill McCarty, two established stand-up stars straight from the New York Comedy Scene.
D.F. Sweedler, a twenty-year comic veteran, is a familiar face at the most notable comedy clubs in the Big Apple. Sweedler’s credits include Comic Strip Live, Comedy Central, Dangerfield’s and The Improv. He also teaches comedy classes at the Strip. In addition, he writes for advertising and radio and has even written material for David Letterman’s monologues.
Bill McCarty is a gifted comedian whose material can find comedy in unexpected topics such as algebra, Olympic ice dance and the names of small towns. McCarty’s talents have been seen on television’s The Rosie O’Donnell Show (NBC) and Late Night with Conan O’Brian (NBC), as well as Evening at the Improv (A&E) and Caroline’s Comedy Hour (A&E). He has performed at many of the nation’s best venues such as New York City’s Comic Strip, Atlantic City’s Tropicana Hotel and Los Angeles’ Comedy Store. McCarty has “opened” shows for comedian superstars David Brenner, Pat Cooper, Robert Klein and Bill Maher.
Come join these clever and quick humorists and a special Emcee as they take the stage and elevate stand-up comedy to the level of fine art. Reserve your seats now! Tickets are $20 ($18 for WAC members). For more information call 908-753-0190 or e-mail us.