Le Vent du Nord, Rio Clemente, THE CRIPPLE OF INISHMAAN and More Set for Centenary Stage, Feb 2013

Centenary Stage Company keeps things rolling in February with an entertainment packed schedule. A variety of family shows, two big musical acts, and a professional Equity show about a young Irishman just in time to get ready for St. Patrick's Day.

Michael DuBois' show, The Solo Circus, is a fast-paced, audience interactive variety show featuring an all-original presentation of magic, juggling, mind tricks, with comedic circus and sideshow stunts. "I fell in love with the circus when I was four at Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey," said DuBois. In a career based on thrills, DuBois has had some of his own, including performing twice on Jay Leno's television programs. Michael Dubois' Solo Circus is happening Saturday February 2 at 2pm in the Sitnik Theater. The show is appropriate for all ages.

With its roots in the Celtic tradition, Le Vent du Nord brings their high energy folk music to the Centenary Stage Company's Sitnik Theatre in the David and Carol Lackland Center on Saturday, February 9th at 8 p.m. This group composed of singers and multi-instrumentalists play a unique blend of original compositions and traditional Quebecois folk songs with a spirited Celtic flair, also incorporating familiar Cajun melodies and rhythms. The Boston Herald described the band's sound, featuring button accordion, foot percussion, guitar and fiddle, as "defined by the hurdy-gurdy, which adds an earthy, rough-hewn flavor to even the most buoyant dance tunes." Members of Le Vent du Nord include Nicolas Boulerice, Simon Beaudry, Olivier Demers, and Réjean Brunet.

Centenary Stage Company's Third Saturday Series for Young Audiences is highlighting If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, based on the popular children's book written by Laura Joffe Numeroff. A young boy is run ragged by an energetic little mouse with cookies and milk on the brains adapted for the stage by Jody Davidson. The performance will take place on Saturday, February 16th at 11 a.m. in the Little Theater on 400 Jefferson Street.

Rio Clemente, known as "The Bishop of Jazz," will make a stop at the Little Theatre on Sunday, February 17th at 2 p.m. From Manhattan's famed Birdland to The Oak Room at the Algonquin Hotel; from Carnegie Hall to Lincoln Center... anyone who has listened to Rio Clemente play piano comes away in awe. This master pianist mixes a strong classical background with a rich knowledge of jazz history then adds an amazing sense of creativity and interpretation. The result is music that is different from others and nearly always produces a standing ovation and cries for "more." A native of Morristown, NJ, Rio is a member of its Hall of Fame. He's been named Professional Artist of the Year by the Arts Council of the Morris Area, New Jersey Monthly Magazine named him among its "Top 40 New Jerseyans", and the New Jersey Jazz Society named him Musician of the Year.

Centenary Stage Company enters March and gears up for St. Patrick's Day with another Celtic performance. The Cripple of Inishmaan written by Martin McDonagh runs from February 22nd through March 10th in the Sitnik Theater at the Lackland Center. In 1934, the people of Inishmaan learn that the Hollywood director Robert Flaherty is coming to the neighboring island to film a documentary. No one is more excited than Cripple Billy, an unloved boy whose chief occupation has been gazing at cows and yearning for a girl who wants no part of him. Billy is determined to cross the sea and audition for the Yank. As news of his audacity ripples through his rumor-starved community, The Cripple of Inishmaan becomes a merciless portrayal of a world comically cramped and relentlessly absurd, even when, to everyone's surprise, the orphan and outcast gets his big chance.

Michael Dubois' Solo Circus tickets range from $­­­­­17.50-$20 in advance and $22.50-$25 at the door. Performance is Saturday, February 2nd at 2 p.m. in the Sitnik Theater at the Lackland Center.
Le Vent du Nord tickets range from $­­­­­17.50-$25 in advance and$22.50-$30 at the door. The performance is Saturday, February 9th at 8 p.m. in the Sitnik Theater at the Lackland Center.
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie tickets are $12.50 for adults and $10 for children under 12. The performance is Saturday, February 16th at 11 a.m. at the Little Theatre on 400 Jefferson Street.
Rio Clemente tickets are $17.50 in advance and $22.50 at the door. Performance is Sunday, February 17th at 2 p.m. at the Little Theatre on 400 Jefferson Street.
Cripple of Inishmaan tickets range from $­­­­­17.50 to $27.50 with discounts for students and seniors. Thursday night is Date Night with two for one rush tickets available at the door. Performances run from February 22nd through March 10th and are 7:30 p.m. on Thursdays, 8 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and 2 p.m. on Sundays. There are Wednesday matinees on February 27th and March 6th. All performances are in the Sitnik Theater in the Lackland Center.
To purchase tickets or to find more information on other performances in the 2012-2013 season, visit www.centenarystageco.org or call (908) 979-0900. Patrons are encouraged to check the age recommendations for individual shows.
The Centenary Stage Company is a not-for-profit professional equity theatre, in residence at Centenary College, dedicated to serving as a cultural resource for audiences of the Skylands Region with professional music, theatre and dance events and arts education programs throughout the year. Performances at the Centenary Stage Company are made possible through the visionary support of the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, the NJ State Council on the Arts, and CSC members, friends and sponsors, including Premier Sponsor Heath Village, Silver Sponsors Hackettstown Regional Medical Center and The Holiday Inn, and Series sponsors, Fulton Bank, and Mamas and Café Baci.

1. Michael Dubois' Solo Circus, Photo Credit Michael Maples

2. Le Vent Du Nord, Photo Credit Stéphane Najman

3. If You Give a Mouse a Cookie: Morgan Mack (Old Bridge, NJ) as Mouse, Photo Credit Pat Lanciano

4. Rio Clemente, Photo Credit Unknown

5. The Cripple of Inishmaan, Photo Credit Pat Lanciano

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