Get spiritual with Martin Sheen. Take a Revolutionary Ramble. See an American Idol. Re-visit the Psychedelic Sixties. Or roar back to the Gershwin Twenties.
There’s plenty going on in Greater Morristown this weekend, as you will see below.
And if you crave more entertainment, check out our great calendar-– where you can share your events with the world!
THURSDAY, June 7, 2012:
The arts community will bid a fond farewell to Anne Aronovitch, who retired last month after four years as executive director of the Arts Council of the Morris Area, with a cocktail reception from 6 pm to 8 pm at the Frelinghuysen Arboretum, at 353 East Hanover Ave. in Morris Township. Anne has asked that, in lieu of a gift, donations be made in her honor to the Arts Council of the Morris Area to support the work to which she has been so passionately dedicated. Please RSVP if you plan to attend.
The Morristown & Township Library concludes its Silents are Golden film series with Sunrise, a silent feature about a woman who tries to convince a farmer to drown his wife. Admission: Free. Doors open at 6 pm; light refreshments will be served. The movies starts at 6:45 pm, at the library at 1 Miller Road, Morristown. Note: The library had scheduled a screening of the Oscar-winning The Artist, but the studio has delayed its DVD release. Another screening will be scheduled for the summer.
Gladys Knight, the “Empress of Soul,” will sing at Morristown’s Mayo Performing Arts Center at 8 pm. Tickets are $57-$115. The theater is at 100 South St. Call 973-539-8008 for more details.
FRIDAY, June 8:
Get in touch with your spiritual side with two great events at the Center for Spiritual Living Morristown. Starting at 6 pm, photographer Michael Paxton will present his exhibit Monks of Burma and Laos in the Friendship Hall Gallery, downstairs at the Center, 311 Mount Kemble Ave., Harding.
Meanwhile, the June Spiritual Cinema series kicks off with Martin Sheen’s The Way, at 7 pm. Sheen plays Tom, who embarks on a journey of discovery after the death of his son, where he quickly learns about the value of every person’s unique journey through life. He forms a bond with other pilgrims from around the world, and discovers the invaluable difference between “the life we live and the life we choose.” Admission: Free; “Love” offering appreciated.
This week’s special program from the Morristown National Historical Park features the Revolutionary-themed Welcome to the Past, presented by Gordon Thomas Ward. The evening of stories, songs, poetry and history begins at 7 pm at Washington’s Headquarters Museum at 30 Washington Place, Morristown. Mr. Ward will take guests through the 1779-1780 encampment of the New Jersey Brigade through tales from his childhood in the area, the history of the site and the events, and probably the most fun – will share local folklore and ghost stories from the area. Mr. Ward’s books will be available for purchase after the show.
Bring your instrument to The Minstrel at 8 pm for their Open Stage night. All acoustic musicians are invited to play a 15-minute set on stage at the Morristown Unitarian Fellowship, 21 Normandy Heights Rd, Morris Township. Audience members are invited to enjoy some of the up-and-coming talented individuals here in New Jersey – some of the acts that debut at Open Stage often end up becoming regular performers! Performance slots are filled for this weekend, but you can call 973-335-9489 to learn more about securing a spot. The seven open spots in the program are chosen by a lottery, acts must arrive by 7:45 pm.
SATURDAY, June 9:
The Morris Area Freewheelers are holding their fourth annual Revolutionary Ramble: Six group bike rides of distances ranging from 12 to 100 miles. The earliest of these departs at 7 am from Drew University in Madison. For registration and more details, see the link above. NOTE: Cars will be banned from 8 am to noon on the tour road at Jockey Hollow, in the Morristown National Historical Park, to accommodate cyclists pedaling through. Call the Park Service at 973-543-4030 with any questions.
Morristown is A Town of Towers & Spires, according to Bonnie-Lynn Nadzeika, who will lead a 90-minute walking tour exploring the architecture of the downtown’s magnificent churches. Bonnie, former director of Acorn Hall, will start at 10 am from the Morris County Tourism Bureau at 6 Court St. Cost: $12. Tours are limited to 25 people; please call 973-631-5151 to reserve a spot.
The Iron Bar on 5 South St. makes its presence official with a ribbon-cutting at 4 pm. Morristown’s newest nightclub, owned by Jimmy Cavanaugh, owner of the late Jimmy’s Haunt, had its “soft launch” a few weeks ago and now has a lunch menu.
The hometown Jerzey Derby Brigade tackles Hammonton’s Boardwalk Brawlers in women’s roller derby action at 6:30 pm, at Inline Morristown, on 38 Dumont Place. Admission is $12, at the door or online at brownpapertickets.com (search Corporal Punishers).
What’s for dessert? How about murder! The Morristown Deli serves The Gilligan’s Island Murder Mystery at 7 pm. Cost: $55, includes dinner. BYOB. At 7 Elm St. Call 973-267-3766 for reservations. Gilligan will have to ponder this mystery awhile longer; this dinner theater production has been canceled because of illness in the cast. It is likely to be rescheduled in the fall, according to the Morristown Deli.
Life Upon the Wicked Stage: Broadway’s Greatest Villains, Thieves and Ladies of the Evening, a gala benefit for the Morris Museum, will bring American Idol’s Constantine Maroulis (Tony Award-nominee, Rock of Ages) onto the Bickford Theatre stage at 8 pm. He will be joined by a cast of Broadway stars including: Courtney Balan, Marc G. Dalio (Beauty and the Beast), Donna English (Drama Desk Award-nominee Ruthless!, Lend Me A Tenor), Amy Griffin (Newsical, Forbidden Broadway), Patricia Phillips (The Phantom of the Opera), Rob Richardson (A Tale of Two Cities), Matthew Shepard (Wonderful Town), and Julie Waldman-Stiel (The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber). Rick Delaney (I Hate Hamlet, Veronica’s Room) will make a special guest appearance. Tickets are $65 to $250, available from the museum website, by calling 973-971-3706 or by visiting the box office at 6 Normandy Heights Road in Morris Township.
Glen Burtnik, formerly of Styx and Beatlemania, brings his 18-piece Summer of Love Experience to Morristown’s Mayo Performing Arts Center at 8 pm. They will faithfully recreate iconic music of the Woodstock Generation, including songs by The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Dylan, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, The Doors, Santana, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. Tickets are $19.50 to $75. Call 973-539-8008 for more details. Here is video of Glen performing at the Mayo’s Starlight Room in 2010:
SUNDAY, June 10:
Morristown’s Church of the Redeemer offers a 3 pm screening of the award-winning film, “Love Free or Die.” A jury-prize winner at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, this documentary highlights the life of the very first openly gay person to become a Bishop in 2003 through the Episcopal Church’s decision to continue to ordain gay Bishops around the world. Refreshments and discussion will follow the film-showing at Redeemer, located at 36 South St., Morristown. This is a free event thanks to co-sponsorship from other progressive area churches, including St. Gregory’s Episcopal Church Parsippany and the Dices of Newark’s OASIS and Integrity NYC-Metro. A collection will be taken up to further support promotion of the film.
Maureen Wlodarczyk, author of Past-Forward: A Three-Decade and Three-Thousand-Mile Journey Home, joins the Macculloch Hall Historical Museum from 1 pm to 4 pm for a signing of her book. Part of an ongoing partnership with the New Jersey Civil War Sesquicentennial Committee, this book signing expands upon the museum’s June exhibit, Gone for a Solder: Jerseymen in the Civil War. Ms. Wlodarczyk will be available to sell and sign books at the Museum, 45 Macculloch Ave., Morristown. Adults $8; Seniors and Students $6; Children 6-12 $4; members and children under the age of 5 are free.
New Jersey native and critically acclaimed pianist Paul Zeigler, presents Gershwin’s masterpiece, Rhapsody in Blue, with the Baroque Orchestra of New Jersey at 3 pm at the College of Saint Elizabeth, Dolan Performance Hall, 2 Convent Road, Morris Township. Tickets are $35 for Adults; $25 for Seniors; $5 for Students under 22 with an ID.
Like to draw? Bring your pencil and pad to Morristown’s Zebu Forno café and sketch live models from 6 pm to 9 pm. For $10 you also get pizza and the camaraderie of fellow artists. Call 770-853-9727 for more about the Open Drawing Session.
