October - December / 05

		Father Alphonse The Orchestra of St. Peter by the Sea was founded by Father Alphonse Stephenson to do good works – by raising money for charities – and to play good music at the same time. The orchestra’s next program includes works by Beethoven, Ravel, Verdi, and Strauss, all linked by a common theme: all the pieces are based on dances... waltzes, boleros, ballets, and folk dances. “Shall We Dance” will be performed January 8 at the Algonquin Theatre in Manasquan. Visit www.orchsp.com
		Roy Lichtenstein Most people know Roy Lichtenstein as the Pop Artist inspired by comic books and commercial art. But Lichtenstein was also captivated by Native-American imagery, and did a series of Surrealist-Pop paintings based on Native American themes. This little known body of Lichtenstein’s work is explored in “Roy Lichtenstein: American Indian Encounters”, a new exhibition at the Montclair Museum on view through January 8, 2006. Visit www.montclairartmuseum.org
		Inspecting Carol A struggling regional theater’s annual third rate production of “A Christmas Carol” goes terribly wrong when they attempt to impress an official from the National Endowment for the Arts. That’s the premise behind the holiday farce “Inspecting Carol”, now playing at the George Street Playhouse. An added twist is that the NEA official is portrayed at each performance by a real life New Jersey personality. Through December 31st in New Brunswick. Visit www.georgestplayhouse.org
		The Legacy of Homer The Greek poet Homer and his epic tales about heroic warriors and gods and goddesses have inspired writers and artists for centuries; and in the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, the most acclaimed French painters and sculptors turned to Homer for dramatic scenes to re-create, in exacting detail. Some of those works are now on view at the Princeton University Art Museum, in “The Legacy of Homer: Art from the École Nationale Superieure des Beaux-Arts, Paris” through January 15, 2006. Visit www.princetonartmuseum.org
		New Jersey State Council on the Arts Craft Annual Exhibition This year’s New Jersey State Council on the Arts Craft Annual exhibition asks what the difference is between so-called high art and craft, and points out the pretense between this longstanding, but artificial separation. The Jersey City Museum has mounted an exhibition of artists who work with materials usually associated with crafts – beads, ceramics, even knitting. The results are beautiful, whimsical, and thought-provoking: a beaded table you can’t use, jewelry you can’t wear, and knitted walls that can’t stand. Through January 15, 2006. Visit www.jerseycitymuseum.org
		You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown Charles Schulz’s comic strip “Peanuts” ran for fifty years in newspapers around the world, and spawned several animated TV specials and even a Broadway musical, "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown". That musical, newly updated, is now being revived at the Morris Museum’s Bickford Theater through December 11th. Visit www.morrismuseum.org
		Jill Moser Artist Jill Moser invited poets, critics, curators, and fellow painters to provide her with pairs of words that would become the inspiration - and the titles - for a series of large scale diptychs. The show, called “Naming Game” also invites viewers to think about the multiple meanings of a word, a work of art, and the many combinations they can make. Visit www.rowan.edu/colleges/fpa/gallery
		Power Dressing No enemy is likely to come near a ruler who is bristling head to toe in a tunic, and hat, made entirely of porcupine quills. And surely no jeweled crown could compete with a plumed headdress of pink and red feathers the size of a chandelier (that even folds up inside itself for storage.) These are just a few of the spectacular examples on view in the Newark Museum’s exhibition “Power Dressing - Men’s Fashion and Prestige in Africa”. The first show of its kind in America, “Power Dressing” examines how clothing reinforces and defines identity in African culture. At the Newark Museum through January 22nd, 2006. Visit www.newarkmuseum.org
		Move It and It's Yours “Move It and It's Yours” is a musical about a former songwriter trying to get rid of his piano before he remarries and relocates. Rather than pay movers to cart it off, he posts signs around his neighborhood declaring “Move It and It's Yours!” which immediately attract a parade of wacky characters. But the piano is more than just an unwieldy piece of furniture; it’s also the symbol of his lifelong dream to write music. Runs October 27 - November 20, 2005, at the Passage Theatre in Trenton. Visit www.passagetheatre.org
		Made in America The Bay Atlantic Symphony is one of a consortium of 65 orchestras across the country that will be premiering a new work by Joan Tower titled “Made in America”. To expand on that theme, the Bay Atlantic is also presenting works by composers who came to America as adults and brought the sounds of their native country with them: Antonin Dvorak, and Bela Bartok. November 5th at Cumberland County College and November 6th at Stockton State College. Visit www.bayatlanticsymphony.org Photograph: Bela Bartok
		Cinderella Rodgers & Hammerstein’s version of the classic fairy tale has been updated to make Cinderella a more modern heroine, but the lilting tunes and timeless love story remain. At the Paper Mill Playhouse through December 4th. Visit www.papermill.org
		Tilt Angel An oddball family from Tennessee struggles to come to terms with a mother’s death in “Tilt Angel”, a blues-infused fairy tale flavored by the poetic language and folk music of the South.  At New Jersey Rep in Long Branch through November 20. Visit www.njrep.org
		John Colianni Jazz pianist John Colianni, who's shared the stage with legends like Lionel Hampton, Mel Torme, and most recently, Les Paul, will team up with Bucky Pizzarelli and Earl May for the first-ever jazz concert in Atlantic City's Dante Hall..."From Carnegie Hall to Dante Hall", on October 14th.  Visit www.dantehall.org
		Miss Witherspoon What if you really hated life on earth and decided to end it all by committing suicide – and then discovered there was reincarnation, so you had to come back and do the whole thing over and over again? That’s the premise of Christopher Durang’s new comedy “Miss Witherspoon”, now having its world premiere at the McCarter Theater. But despite its dark, fanciful set-up, it’s actually a theatrical fable with a serious lesson, and even a whiff of hopefulness. Through October 16th. Visit www.mccarter.org