FEBRUARY 2017

ARTScene / Cultural Happenings in & around Hudson

 ON STAGE

  MILE SQUARE THEATRE, 1400 Clinton St, HOB, wwwmilesquaretheatre.org. (201) 683-7014. Feb 3-26: You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown! “Mile Square Theatre opens its 2017 season with hit musical, a real treat for the entire family. This comic musical includes the whole gang from the beloved comic strip Peanuts: bossy Lucy is hopelessly in love with piano prodigy Schroeder who doesn’t give her the time of day, perfectionist Sally is still mocking blanket-toting Linus, Snoopy is in the doghouse, and ‘blockhead,’ himself, Charlie Brown is in rare form. Brief vignettes span the months from Valentine’s Day to Beethoven Day.” Shows are Friday at 7 pm; Saturday at 2 pm and 6 pm; and, Sunday at 11 am and 3 pm. Tix: $30; Student/Senior: $15. Recommended for audiences 5 and up. For school show booking and information, contact Erin: [email protected].

 JERSEY CITY THEATER CENTER, Merseles Studios, 339 Newark Ave, JC. www.jctcenter.org. Thurs, Feb. 9 through Thurs, Mar. 23, JCTC in partnership with the Writers Theatre of NJ presents BORDERLESS, NEW PLAY FESTIVAL. Thurs, Feb. 9, 7-10 pm: FOURTH PLANET, by Dano Madden, a staged reading. “As Dr. Violet Garcia attempts to be chosen for the first human mission to Mars, she is forced to confront the possibility of losing her most important relationships on Earth. Fourth Planet is a play about the future of humanity and what scientific advancement and sacrifice look like through a very personal lens.” Reading followed by Talk-Back.

  BOOK READING/SIGNING

 WORD BOOKSTORE, 122 Newark Ave, JC, Tues, Feb. 7, 7:30-8:30 pm: Elan Mastai Presents “ALL OUR WRONG TODAYS” W/ JONATHAN TROPPER. “You know the future that people in the 1950s imagined we’d have? Well, it happened. In Tom Barren’s 2016, humanity thrives in a techno-utopian paradise of flying cars, moving sidewalks, and moon bases, where avocados never go bad and punk rock never existed . . . because it wasn’t necessary. Except Tom just can’t seem to find his place in this dazzling, idealistic world, and that s before his life gets turned upside down. Utterly blindsided by an accident of fate, Tom makes a rash decision that drastically changes not only his own life but the very fabric of the universe itself. In a time-travel mishap, Tom finds himself stranded in our 2016, what we think of as the real world. For Tom, our normal reality seems like a dystopian wasteland.”

JERSEY CITY THEATER CENTER, Merseles Studios, 339 Newark Ave, JC. www.jctcenter.org. Opens Fri, Feb. 3, 6-10 pm: BORDERLESS ART SHOW. Borderless Gallery/Series Opening & Reception; panel discussion with gallery artists and previews of upcoming Borderless events. Free & open to the public. Tickets not required to attend.

DEEP SPACE GALLERY, 77 Cornelison St, JC. Now showing:  33 1/3: WORLD WAR FREE featuring new works by NTEL. “33 1/3: WFREE is a narrative documenting the life of the artist from birth to the present.  Each of the 33 and 1/3 pieces that make up the show chronicle a year of his life, with a tapestry on canvas, evoking the feelings and the mood of the moment in his evolution, to who he is now”.

MANA CONTEMPORARY, 888 Newark Ave, JC. (201) 604-2702; www.manacontemporary.com. Through May 31: SURFACE, a group exhibition features work by five Mana BSMT residents who work primarily as GIF artists: Matthias Brown (TraceLoops), Sam Cannon, Julian Glander, Thoka Maer, and Hayden Zezula (Zolloc). “Until now, their artwork has been created for and seen on screens, and shared across social platforms. This exhibition is their first exploration into creating work that can only be experienced in a physical space: sculpture, installation, performance, and gaming. By eliminating screens and creating site-specific experiences, this exhibition will illustrate a collective surfacing from the digital to the physical realm.” The exhibition is sponsored by GIPHY Arts.

107 BOWERS GALLERY & ARTSPACE, 107 Bowers Street, JC, (201) 280-04821, [email protected].  Feb. 18, 2 pm: ARTIST TALK WITH MYLES COLLINS, commercial artist, who will speak of his years working for ad agencies in New York. One of his specialties: store window display animations.

VICTORY HALL DRAWING ROOMS, 180 Grand St, JC. (201) 823-93923; drawingrooms.org. Through Sun, Feb. 12 Hours: Fri, 4-7 pm; Sat & Sun, 12-6 pm. THE BIG SMALL SHOW featuring the works of more than 100 artists. Meet artists on 2/12, 3-5 pm.

BARSKY GALLERY, 48 Harrison St, HOB. (888) 465-4949; barskyallery.com. BARSKY GALLERY’S WINTER EXHIBITION. “The rotating collection is a showcase of recent works by gallery-represented artists, embodying an eclectic mix of contemporary original art priced for every budget.” Winter hours: Mon & Tues, by appointment; Wed-Sun, 11 am-6 pm.  (Pictured: Margherita Martinelli’s “Incantami”.)

CLUBS

ART HOUSE PRODUCTIONS, 136 Magnolia St, JC. (201) 915-991; [email protected]. Thurs, Feb. 2, 8-10 pm, $5: OPEN MIC PERFORMANCE SERIES FEATURING RYAN ROMAN.  5-minute open mike for poets, actors, comics and musicians NOTE: There are 18 first come, first served performances slots available.

 FOX & CROW, 594 Palisade Ave, JC, www.foxandcrowjc.com. Fri, Feb 3, 10-11:59 pm: SEAN KIELY. Sat, Feb. 4, 10-11:59 pm: RAY CORVAIR TRIO.

 

 

 

BRIGHTSIDE TAVERN, 141 Bright St, JC. Every first Monday of the month, RJO All Stars Jam Session at 7:30 pm. www.riverviewjazz.org 

 

 

 

JERSEY CITY THEATER CENTER, Merseles Studios, 339 Newark Ave, JC. www.jctcenter.org. Sun, Feb. 12 – Sun, Apr 9, shows at 1 pm. Tix (at the door) for Kids, $11 & Adults, $12. PUPPETWORKS presents THE WIZARD OF OZ. “Dorothy is convinced the Wizard of Oz can help her go home.  Join Dorothy on her travels as she meets the Silly Strawman who wants brains, the Shiny Tin Man who wants a heart, and the Cowardly Lion who wants courage.  Will the Wizard of Oz grant their wishes?”

  LIBERTY SCIENCE CENTER, Liberty State Park, 222 Jersey City Boulevard, JC. (201) 200-1000; www.lsc.org. Opens Sat, Feb 4: ILLUSION: NOTHING IS AS IT SEEMS. “Get ready for an exhibition that will blow your mind! Illusion: Nothing Is As It Seems is designed to make you question your perception of the world around you, and perhaps reality itself. The exhibition’s dozens of thought-provoking exhibits explore principles rooted in magic, art, neuroscience, physics, biology, psychology, and technology. Gaze into a mirror and watch yourself morph into your inner animal. See how theater, haunted houses, dark amusement park rides, and magic tricks use a special effects technique called Pepper’s Ghost to deceive you. Experience a virtual haircut, enabled by high-tech sensory stimulants. The exhibits include optical, perceptual, and audio illusions. Science and art intersect in this mind-boggling, mesmerizing exhibition.” Created by science gallery at Trinity College Dublin, part of the Global Science Gallery.

 

OUT OF TOWN HAPPENINGS

 

THE NEW VICTORY THEATER, 229 W. 42^nd St, NYC. www.newvictory.org. Jan 28-Feb 5:  ELEPHANT & PIGGIE’S WE ARE IN A PLAY. “From Kennedy Center Theater for Young Audiences on Tour. Based on the Elephant and Piggie books by Mo Willems. Elephant Gerald is a careful, formally-attired worrywart. Piggie is a perky, smiley bundle of fun. Total opposites? No way! In ELEPHANT & PIGGIE’S WE ARE IN A PLAY! Elephant and Piggie are BFFs. The two sing and dance their way through plenty of pachydermal peril and swiney suspense, facing fundamental questions like: What do you wear to a fancy costume pool party? Should you share your ice cream? And how can two friends play with one toy? Backed by nutty back-up singers The Squirrelles, Elephant and Piggie will have you giggling out loud in this romp of a musical!”

  NEWARK MUSEUM, 49 Washington St, Newark, NJ. (973) 596-6550; www.newarkmuseum.org. Through May: NEW ACQUISITION: “WHAT WILL COME” (2007) VIDEO INSTALLATION BY WILLIAM KENTRIDGE. “A recent acquisition – an installation by the renowned South African artist William Kentridge – is on view in the Arts of Global Africa’s dedicated gallery for video art. WHAT WILL COME (2007) is an animated film, created using Kentridge’s signature technique of drawing and erasing on a sheet of paper and filming the process frame-by-frame. The work is inspired by Italy’s invasion of Ethiopia in 1935, in which 275,000 Ethiopians lost their lives. Among them were a large number of civilians who were gassed, a fact denied by the Italian government until 1995. The title originates from a Ghanaian proverb, “what will come, has already come,” a reference to the cyclical nature of history.”

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