Watch your favorite Dr. Seuss characters come to life in the Monmouth County Park System’s summer theater production of “Seussical.” Horton the Elephant, Gertrude McFuzz and all the Whos of Whoville take the stage. Staged in the summer stock atmosphere of the The Barn at Thompson Park, Newman Springs Road, Lincroft, performances will take place at 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday evenings and 7 p.m. on Sunday evenings, July 25 through Aug. 3. Tickets are $15, $10 for children under 12. To reserve tickets, call 732-842-4000, ext 1. Inspired by 1950s Retro-Future style art, limited edition artwork by artist Eric Tan for Disney/Pixar’s feature film
“Wall-E” will make its East Coast premiere on July 19 at Cel-ebration! gallery in Red Bank. A Blast Off party for collectors and fans of the film is planned from 2 to 5 p.m. at the 30 Monmouth Street gallery. The actual maquettes of WALL-E and Eve used by the animators at Pixar will be on display through the show’s end on Sept. 6. To contact the gallery or RSVP for the event, call 732 842-8489 or visit the Web site www.celebration.com.
Broadway luminary Jeff Blumenkrantz will appear at 8 p.m. July 18 in the Axelrod Performing Arts Center at the Jewish Community Center, 100 Grant Ave., Deal Park. This Tony-nominated actor/composer was born in West Long Branch. He has acted in numerous Broadway productions, including “Urban Cowboy” and “How to Succeed in Business.” Tickets: $25, seniors and students $20, by calling 732- 531-9100 or e-mail [email protected].
Red Bank’s Riverside Gardens Park on W. Front Street is a happening place this summer. With the Navesink River as its backdrop, the park is hosting a summer series including weekly jazz concerts, songwriters’ showcases, movies.
The weekly 7-9 p.m. Jazz in the Park series will present Tom Timko and the Horn Dogs on July 17. Brookdale/ Comcast’s weekly Songwriters Workshop series takes place at 7 p.m. on Fridays with Griffin House slated for July 18. Movies in the Park are presented at 8:45 p.m. on Tuesdays with “Blades of Glory” scheduled for July 22 and “Water Horse” July 29. All the events are free.
Sickles Market will hold its ninth annual Blues Festival Saturday, July 19, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the market, 1 Harrison Ave., Little Silver. Come enjoy live, great and free American blues music by A Cool Blues Duo, Susan Haugenes and Chuck Lambert, face painting, blue balloons, the Bee Lady and visiting goats courtesy of the Monmouth County 4- H Free Spirit Goat Club. For information, visit www.sicklesmarket. com.
The 1929 film “Hallelujah!” will be screened at 7 p.m. on July 18 as part of the 34th Newark Black Film Festival. Presented by the Monmouth County Arts council in collaborationwith the Newark Museum, the free festival offers Q&As with filmmakers, directors, performers and producers at the Asbury Park High School Auditorium on Sunset Avenue. This is one of the first all-black films produced by a major studio. Follow the trials & tribulations of a sharecropper who falls for a beautiful dancer and is swindled out of his money. For information, call: 732-212-1890 or visit www.monmoutharts. org.
StreetLife, the outdoor performance series, continues to enliven Saturday nights in downtown Red Bank. The series takes place 7-10 p.m. and continues on July 19 and 26 at sidewalk locations throughout the downtown. Scheduled to perform July 19 are: George Wirth; Storyville; Carly McIlvaine; William Kachersky; Brian Breen and the Atlantic Jazz Company.
Monmouth University’s Shadow Lawn Stage in West Long Branch presents Neil Simon’s comedy classic “The Odd Couple” July 18 – Aug. 3. The show opens with a group of guys playing poker in the extremely messy apartment of divorced Oscar Madison played by Lou Liberatore. Late to arrive is the fastidious Felix Unger played by Bill Timoney. He has just been separated from his wife. As the action unfolds, the clean freak and the slob decide to room together with hilarious results. Performances are on Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. with Sunday show times at 2 and 7 p.m. Tickets are $35 and can be purchased online at www.monmouth.edu/arts or by calling the box office at 732- 263-6889.
New Jersey Repertory Company in Long Branch will host a reading at 7 p.m. July 21 of “A Slow Fugue Before Dying.” The play opens in a cemetery in which veterans of wars going back to the American Revolution are buried. Three women have gathered to put flowers on a grave and one by one tell tales of their loves, losses, hopes, dreams. NJ Rep is located at 179 Broadway. Admission is a donation. For information, call 732-229-3166 or e-mail [email protected].
Brookdale’s Shakespeare on the Lawn is presenting
“Romeo and Juliet” for three more performances at 7 p.m. on July 17 and 19 and at 5 p.m. July 20. Shakespeare’s classic tale of feuding households, domestic dramas and budding romance is as relevant today as it was 400 years ago. Performances are free at the Great Lawn at Brookdale Community College Great Lawn (Lot 2). For information, call 732-224-2411 or e-mail [email protected].
Attend Middletown Main Library’s “Dessert and a Movie” summer film series to see memorable movies and enjoy a cool dessert as well. Films are shown twice each day:
matinees begin at 2:30 p.m. and evening showings at 6:30 p.m. All films are free and open to the public.
• Monday, July 21, “The Kite Runner,” based on the popular book. An Afghan immigrant to the United States returns to
his homeland to atone for a
terrible wrong.
• Monday, July 28, “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly.” A remarkable biopic takes us into the world of Jean-Dominique Bauby, publisher of French Elle, as he records his experience after suffering a stroke.
Middletown Township Public Library is located at 55 New Monmouth Road off Route 35. For more information, visit www.mtpl.org or call 732-671-3700 ext. 320.
Compiled by Gloria Stravelli Designed by Eileen Russell Gerber