MPAC Announces Indian Dance, Pat Metheny And Bobby Collins and More in Late September

Experience a boisterous, colorful and joyful affirmation of Indian culture when Enchanted India: Dhoad Gypsies of Rajasthan takes the stage at MPAC Thursday, September 27 at 7 pm. Tickets are $19-$49.

Directed by Rahis Bharti, this company of 17 artists celebrates a repertoire of song, music and dance which derives from the tradition of the semi-nomadic travelling musicians in Rajasthan. This musical heritage continues to thrive as it has been handed down through several generations of travelling gypsies. Their brand new production invites the North American audience to the deep and mysterious life of desert travelling artists of Rajasthani tribes with its vibrant and colorful stage and captivating sound. The revolutionary presentation of DHOAD Gypsies of Rajasthan is embracing their travelling musical tradition and celebrating this rich history of Rajasthani music and dance to pay a true homage to the Gypsies of India from over 1,000 years ago.

Rahis Bharti, artistic director and founder, is a Jaipur native musician and a seventh generation descendant of the courtier musician caste called "Khan Saheb" who performed for the royal courts of Indian rulers "Maharajas" in Rajasthan, India. DHOAD Gypsies of Rajasthan have performed in 95 countries in the last 16 years giving them the title of Cultural Ambassador of Rajasthan. Their new production consists of 17 artists with the powerful vocals, poets and troubadours of Khan Saheb musicians, traditional Rajasthani female dancers, male dancers dressed in drag, and acrobats who perform traditional Rajasthani song and dance as well as perform mesmerizing stunts.

The company's program is a vibrant dream that tantalizes the senses and transports audiences to the country of the Maharajas, bringing them back to a time where the courtier musicians of Rajasthan played before kings and queens.
Mayo Performing Arts Center, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, presents a wide range of programs that entertain, enrich, and educate the diverse population of the region and enhance the economic vitality of Northern New Jersey. The 2018-2019 season is made possible, in part, by a grant the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, as well as support received from the F.M. Kirby Foundation and numerous corporations, foundations and individuals. The Mayo Performing Arts Center has been designated a Major Presenting Organization by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts. Mayo Performing Arts Center was named 2016 Outstanding Historic Theatre by the League of Historic American Theatres, and is ranked in the top 50 mid-sized performing arts centers by Pollstar Magazine.

Twenty-time Grammy winning guitarist Pat Metheny returns to MPAC on Friday, September 28 at 8 pm. Performing with him will be Antonio Sanchez, Linda May Han Oh and Gwilym Simcock. Tickets are $49-$99.

Recently inducted into the Downbeat Hall of Fame as its youngest member and only the fourth guitarist (joining Django
Reinhardt, Charlie Christian and Wes Montgomery), Metheny will present a range of music from throughout his career. "This past year is the first time I have taken any real time off since 1994. It was great to be able to practice, do some research and start the process of developing some ideas that I have had cooking for a while."

Joining Pat this year once again will be his long time drummer Antonio Sanchez. "Antonio is always incredible. He is one of the greatest drummers of all time and the fact that we have been able to share so much music together over these years is something really special for both of us. And I am so proud of all his recent successes with the "Birdman" score." Antonio's score for the Oscar winning Alejandro G. Innaritu film was nominated for a Golden Globe award and 2016 Grammy Award as well as dozens of other prizes around the world. Pat goes on to say "Being on the bandstand with Antonio is like nothing else I have ever experienced with any other musician. He has the capacity to listen and be inside the music with an intensity that is unique. That focus, combined with his truly otherworldly skills on the kit puts him his own category."

Malaysian/Australian bassist Linda Oh has been extremely active on the New York scene for the past few years, playing with many of the major musicians in the community. Metheny continues, "I love to follow who the new players around town and I go out often to check out what everyone is doing. The first time I heard Linda, she immediately went to the top of my list of candidates. She has everything I always am looking for; great time, great notes and a lot of imagination. But the most important thing I am always searching for in any musician is an elusive and hard to describe quality that embodies a certain communicative ability to connect - not just to the other musicians, but to the audience as well. Linda has that. When we got together, she was so easy to play with."

Rounding out the ensemble is British pianist Gwilym Simcock, one of the most exciting new pianists to emerge from the UK in many years. "I first heard about Gwilym on a trip to London a few years back when someone at a radio station gave me his debut record while mentioning to me that he had often spoken of his interest in this music having been sparked by his exposure to one of my early records, again one of the most flattering things imaginable," Metheny said. "When I listened to his CD, I became an instant fan; Gwilym is simply one of the best piano players I have heard in a long, long time."

As to what the performances will be like, Metheny says, "It could really be anything and everything. I have already written a bunch of new music inspired just by the thought of this presentation, but I could also imagine playing only old music one night, or even playing entire albums. I like the idea of keeping it open and letting it become whatever it winds up being over the course of a tour. At this stage, I have so much music and it all is kind of one big thing for me without borders or distinctions between this period or that period. With Antonio, Linda and Gwilym, I think we could and will do a wide range of things from throughout all of it - and maybe uncover what the next period has in store as well."

Mayo Performing Arts Center, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, presents a wide range of programs that entertain, enrich, and educate the diverse population of the region and enhance the economic vitality of Northern New Jersey. The 2018-2019 season is made possible, in part, by a grant the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, as well as support received from the F.M. Kirby Foundation and numerous corporations, foundations and individuals. The Mayo Performing Arts Center has been designated a Major Presenting Organization by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts. Mayo Performing Arts Center was named 2016 Outstanding Historic Theatre by the League of Historic American Theatres, and is ranked in the top 50 mid-sized performing arts centers by Pollstar Magazine.

Veteran stand-up comic Bobby Collins performs at MPAC on Saturday, September 29 at 8 pm. Tickets are $39-$59.

Comedian Bobby Collins has an ability to truthfully translate the human condition. Audiences across the country relate to his comedic characterizations as he exposes the humor of day-to-day situations as well as serving up resplendent rants on world events.

Through precise physical timing and impeccable audience insight, he has honed his talents while performing from hole in the wall clubs to sold out theaters. Bobby Collins' rise to top headlining, comedic master was inevitable. His true dedication to his craft is what keeps his vibrant shows consistently sold out.

A native New Yorker, Collins possesses a confidence and genuine everyman likeability that can only be earned. He knows what it's like to work a day job, in order to pursue a dream. He's flipped his share of burgers, as well as signing on as a substitute high school history teacher, to pay the bills - all the while performing in comedy clubs at night.

It is his relationship with his audiences that results in sold out shows everywhere he makes an appearance. What you see is what you get - Collins is the same man on and off the stage. Bobby Collins has a genuine love for what he does. With such skillful dissection of everyday life, he weaves his uproarious storytelling with effortless flair and charisma as he successfully dismantles any and all socioeconomic, race and age divides. Night after night, Bobby Collins masterfully reflects the hilarious truth - we're all in this together!

Mayo Performing Arts Center, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, presents a wide range of programs that entertain, enrich, and educate the diverse population of the region and enhance the economic vitality of Northern New Jersey. The 2018-2019 season is made possible, in part, by a grant the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, as well as support received from the F.M. Kirby Foundation and numerous corporations, foundations and individuals. The Mayo Performing Arts Center has been designated a Major Presenting Organization by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts. Mayo Performing Arts Center was named 2016 Outstanding Historic Theatre by the League of Historic American Theatres, and is ranked in the top 50 mid-sized performing arts centers by Pollstar Magazine.

Mayo Performing Arts Center
100 South St., Morristown, NJ 07960
box office (973) 539-8008
online: www.mayoarts.org

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