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Events

Front Row Center: Icons of Rock, Blues, and Soul

Pollak and DiMattio Galleries 400 Cedar Ave, West Long Branch, NJ, United States

The iconic photographs of Larry Hulst capture the freewheeling energy of live music and the enduring visual spectacle of rock’s greatest performers. From Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix to David Bowie and Lauryn Hill, Front Row Center: Icons of Rock, Blues and Soul brings together over 70 images of legendary musicians and singers across three genres and generations. The exhibition charts Hulst’s extraordinary path through the pulsing heart of the most exciting live music of the last century, showcasing a unique visual anthology of rock, blues, and soul music from 1970–1999. These images, which have been featured on album art and Rolling Stone spreads, convey Hulst’s lifelong passion for the magnetism, immediacy, and unpredictability of live music. With photos that also document the unforgettable voices of funk, punk, and beyond, Front Row Center grants viewers an all-access pass to some of the most memorable performances in popular music history.

Free and open to the public.

Robert Klein

Pollak Theatre

Robert Klein is a pioneer in modern stand-up comedy who has inspired heavyweights like Jay Leno and Jerry Seinfeld. For more than forty years, he has entertained audiences, and he continues to have an acclaimed career in comedy, on Broadway, on television, and in film. Born in the Bronx, he was a member of the famed “Second City” theatrical troupe in Chicago. Robert has been nominated twice for Grammy Awards for “Best Comedy Album of the Year” for his albums “Child of the Fifties” and “Mind Over Matter.” In 1975, Klein was the first comedian to appear in a live concert on Home Box Office. He has gone on to do nine one-man shows for HBO and received his first Emmy nomination for Outstanding Music and Lyrics in 2001 for Robert Klein: “Child in His 50’s.” His most recent special for HBO, “Robert Klein: Unfair and Unbalanced” aired on June 12th, 2010 and earned him a second Emmy nomination in 2011 for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics.

$42-$48

Pompeii: Sin City

Pollak Theatre

An exploration of Pompeii, a city cloaked in mystery and depicted through images and words by the great artists and writers who experienced and imagined it over the course of history: from Pliny the Younger to Picasso, from Emily Dickinson to Jean Cocteau.  Famously known for the catastrophic volcanic eruption which buried Pompeii along with its inhabitants over 2000 years ago, Pompeii: Sin City hosted by Isabella Rossellini offers audiences an extraordinary snapshot of Roman life, frozen at the moment of burial, showing how its citizens lived their lives, spent their free time, experienced pleasure, passion, religion and ultimately, their fate.

$23 (adult); $21 (senior); $10 (child); $5 (MU student)

Henry V

Pollak Theatre

Kit Harington (Game of Thrones) plays the title role in Shakespeare’s thrilling study of nationalism, war and the psychology of power.  Fresh to the throne, King Henry V launches England into a bloody war with France. When his campaign encounters resistance, this inexperienced new ruler must prove he is fit to guide a country into war. Captured live from the Donmar Warehouse in London, this exciting modern production directed by Max Webster (Life of Pi) explores what it means to be English and our relationship to Europe, asking: do we ever get the leaders we deserve?

$23 (adult); $21 (senior); $10 (child); $5 (MU student)

Monmouth University Music & Arts Festival 2022

Various Campus Locations

Monmouth University’s Summer Music and Arts festival is now in its third season—and it’s first as an in-person event – in the theatres and galleries across campus. With student performances, a visual arts exhibit and an eclectic evening concert – there truly is something for everyone to enjoy.

Costs vary by event. Please see event descriptions for prices

Peter and the Wolf by the Garden State Philharmonic

Lauren K. Woods Theatre

THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED DUE TO LOW TICKET SALES. Join us for a family-friendly performance of Serge Prokofiev’s famous story Peter and the Wolf by the Garden State Philharmonic. In this production, children are invited to participate by filling in coloring books on stage for story time with the Garden State Philharmonic.

$20, Children are FREE (must be accompanied by paying adult)

Blue Hawk House Band

Lauren K. Woods Theatre

Monmouth University’s very own Blue Hawk House Band, who has been entertaining folks virtually throughout the pandemic monthly during Tuesday Night Record Club, will make their live debut. These talented students put their very own spin on rock and pop classics.

$20, Children are FREE (must be accompanied by paying adult)

An Evening of Poetry, Jazz and “Harp”Beats with Kuf Knotz and Christine Elise, Robert Pinsky, Digba Ogunbiyi Quartet and Gregory Schwartz

Pollak Theatre

Join us for an evening of an evening of Poetry, Jazz and “Harp”Beats featuring – Kuf Knotz and Christine Elise’s hip-hop poetry with bluesy beats supported by the harp, New Jersey native and former Poet Laureatre Robert Pinsky ‘s “PoemJazz” with a reading and performance of poems in concert with a variety of jazz improvisations. Also featured on the evening’s bill are the Digba Ogunbiyi Quartet playing original compositions that are deeply rooted in Ogunbiyi’s Nigeria roots yet highly informed by his years of studying Jazz, and an opening set by Gregory Schwartz, former recipient of the Poet Laureate of Asbury Park award.

$38-50

The Go-Go’s, Beauty and the Beat

Virtual

It’s just like book club but with albums! With new advances in technology, the way we consume music through our devices, apps and on demand streaming services like Pandora, Spotify and iTunes is making the idea of the “album” as an art form extinct. Get together with other music enthusiasts on Tuesday nights to discuss some of the greatest records of all-time! Listen to the album beforehand and then come prepared to discuss. This event will feature The Go-Go’s, Beauty and the Beat

Free and open to the public, but RSVP is required.

Botticelli: Florence and the Medici

Pollak Theatre

Florence in the era of the powerhouse Italian statesman, politician and patron Lorenzo de’ Medici, was the heart of Renaissance art and culture. One artist, above all others, was able to evoke the lights and shadows of this unforgettable era: Sandro Botticelli (1445-1510). Through Botticelli: Florence and the Medici, we re-live Florence and all its art workshops through Botticelli’s life, his collaborations, his challenges and successes. From the outset of Botticelli’s career under the wing of the Medici family, he established himself as the inventor of an ideal beauty, seen in works such as The Allegory of Spring and the Birth of Venus. The death of Lorenzo de Medici marked the downward spiral of the Florentine master, who was destined to be forgotten for over three centuries, but the rediscovery of Botticelli by the Pre-Raphaelites reignited a genuine fascination with the artist and sparked a Botticelli-mania which continues to this day. 

$23 (adult); $21 (senior); $10 (child); $5 (MU student)