Where-To-Go Wednesday - Hunterdon Art Museum

What: Hunterdon Art Museum 

Where: 7 Lower Center Street 

            Clinton, NJ

Who: Tweens and Up

Young Artists Showcase

Young Artists Showcase

The Hunterdon Art Museum is located in a lovely old stone mill with ties to the Revolutionary War period that sits along the banks of the Raritan River. It was originally a gristmill but was converted into a museum around the 1950s. It now houses a series of rotating exhibits including a Young Artists Showcase on the top floor of the museum that allows local high school students the opportunity to display their artwork and photography. 

Kate Dodd

Kate Dodd

Currently, in addition to the Young Artists Showcases, on display are the works of Kate Dodd and Cynthia Carlson along with a few Aleksander Popovic paintings. Dodd is known for her work with discarded materials including books, packaging materials, and other items. Carlson has worked in a variety of mediums including painting, drawing, and sculpture. Her work here mainly consists of shaped paintings. Popovic's work was chosen by the juror of the annual Member's Exhibit. Each year, one participant's work is selected for display in the museum. Popovic's work consists of landscapes with geometric shapes providing screens through which to view the landscapes. 

Cynthia Carlson

Cynthia Carlson

And that's our view. The three exhibits discussed above will be running through April 28, 2024. The Young Artists Showcase is changed every few weeks or so. For more information about the Hunterdon Art Museum, or any of the current exhibits on display, or to find out about upcoming exhibits, visit www.hunterdonartmuseum.org

Aleksander Popovic

Aleksander Popovic

Tune in tomorrow for Theater Thursday.

All pictures used in this post are our own. If there is a problem with any image, please contact us here and we will look into the matter.

Tips for Tuesday - Books: The Sleepwalkers & The Time of My Life Dirty Dancing; & Movie: The Manifestation

We may have been given complimentary copies and/or access for review purposes to any books, products, and/or any other visual or audio media mentioned below. Any and all opinions expressed here are our own.

Books: The Sleepwalkers & The Time of My Life Dirty Dancing

Today we are talking about The Sleepwalkers by Scarlett Thomas. Evelyn's mother-in-law gifts her and her new husband, Richard, a honeymoon on a Greek Island. However, the island holds many dark secrets. The innkeeper is not very friendly and only has eyes for Richard, and young people are always appearing than quickly disappearing only to be replaced by other young people.  Then, there's that couple who recently visited, and then mysteriously drowned. As if that weren't enough, their time on the island forces Evelyn and Richard to face dark truths of their own.

This is a very somber novel. None of the characters are likable not even Evelyn. It doesn't even make sense why she and Richard would be together based on their past history.

The format of the book makes it hard to get through as well. It is only one long chapter with occasional changes of point of view which makes it hard to tell what is happening when. Even after reading the whole book, not everything that happened in it is completely clear. All in all, it is confusing and hard to follow.

Today we are recommending The Time of My Life Dirty Dancing by Andrea Warner. This book is an examination of the much-loved film, Dirty Dancing. Although clearly the author is extremely fond of her subject, this book is far from a puff piece just promoting the film and not really look at very deeply. Neither is it a completely unbiased thorough analysis of the film. Rather, it is an examination of the ways in which the film was surprisingly groundbreaking from its young female protagnist to its central abortion plotline. If you have never liked Dirty Dancing, this book is not going to make you fall in love with it, but if you have always enjoyed it, this book will give you a new appreciation for it. If you haven't seen it, and you plan to, I wouldn't recommend reading the book as it contains numerous spoilers.

Movie: The Manifestation

Today we are talking about The Manifestation. After attending a self-help guru's seminar, a failing day trader begins manifesting a younger version of his wife to guide him and help him turn his luck around. This film is somewhat creepy and disturbing but also fascinating and compelling. It quickly draws you in and keeps you wanting to know more, but even in the end you're not really sure what happened.

The Manifestation is available for purchase and rental digitally.

All images except film images used in this post are our own.  Film images have been sent to us from publicists, artists, and/or  PR firms. If there is a problem with the rights to any image, please contact us here, and we will look into the matter.

More Theater Monday - The Sorcerer & Trial by Jury

We were given complimentary tickets to the Sorcerer & Trial by Jury for review purposes. Any and all opinions expressed here are our own 

What: The Sorcerer

Where: Kaye Playhouse at Hunter College

             119 East 68th St.

              New York, NY

Who: Recommended for Ages: 6 and Up

When: This event took place on April 6 & 7, 2024

The Sorcerer is a 19th-century comic opera by Gilbert & Sullivan. The plot involves an entire town being enchanted with a magic potion that makes them fall in love with the first person they see. This leads to a number of comical pairings. Much of the humor is connected to characters falling in love with those above or below their station in life. Although this is not as much of an issue today, other aspects of the show remain relatable including several couples with large age gaps. Thus, the show can still be amusing and enjoyable to today's audiences.

 If you listen to an older recording of the show, and it all sounds too highly operatic and unrelatable (as many older recordings can), it is not that way when you experience it live. In fact, New York's Gilbert & Sullivan Players recently staged quite a charming production of the show. The acting and singing were joyously exuberant, and the voices were rich and lovely. 

Modern references were even thrown into a song or two, including allusions to singer, Taylor Swift and her boyfriend, football player, Travis Kelce, to keep the show more exciting and relatable for current audiences. Although Gilbert & Sullivan purists may not like this, anything that draws modern audiences in and keeps them entertained and wanting to see these shows thus keeping them alive is probably a good thing. There were also some fun references to other Gilbert & Sullivan shows, including the group's most recent production of The Mikado, built into the set. Even purists couldn't possibly object to those. 

And that's our view.

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What: Trial by Jury

Where: Kaye Playhouse at Hunter College

             119 East 68th St.

              New York, NY

Who: Recommended for Ages: 6 and Up

When: This event took place on April 6 & 7, 2024

Trial by Jury is a short one-act operetta by Gilbert & Sullivan which often accompanies one of their longer productions. It revolves around the trial of a man accused of jilting his fiancee for another. Although breach of promise lawsuits may have been popular during the composers' time, obviously they are not now. Despite this, the show is still. very funny, and the New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players' recent production of the show, which played with their previously mentioned production of The Sorcerer, was quite enjoyable.

And that's our view. Although these production conclude New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players current 49th season, to find out more about the company and/or to sign up to be one of the first to find out about and order tickets for their upcoming 50th season, visit nygasp.org/current-season

Tune in tomorrow for Tips for Tuesday.

Photo credits: 

All The Sorcerer and Trial by Jury production photos by Danny Bristoll 

Top picture is our own. All other images used in this post have been sent to us from publicists, artists, and/or  PR firms and are used by permission. If there is a problem with the rights to any image, please contact us here, and we will look into the matter.