FCCJ Artist Series Presents "One Night of Queen" April 8, 2009

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 8, 2009 7:30 PM
TIMES UNION CENTER ● MORAN THEATER

JACKSONVILLE, FL – One Night of Queen formed in 2000 after Gary Mullen won ITV’s ‘Stars In Their Eyes’ grand final with a record poll of 864,838 votes, more than double the runner up and the most votes ever received on the show. Along with his band ‘The Works’, Gary delivers the look, the sound and the showmanship of arguably the greatest live band of all time. One Night of Queen will play in Jacksonville on Wednesday, April 8, 2009 at 7:30 PM at the Times Union Center’s Moran Theater.

Over the past 7 years One Night of Queen has toured virtually non-stop around the UK, Germany, Portugal, Holland, Belgium, France and New Zealand, playing theatres, arenas and festivals to sell-out crowds everywhere.

In September 2005 the show was invited to perform at the BBC’s ‘Proms in the Park’ event in Hyde Park, London, alongside Andrea Bocelli, G4 and Simply Red. Being described as “the highlight of the day” and receiving rapturous applause from 45,000 fans, cemented One Night of Queen’s reputation as being “much more than a tribute”.

In spring 2007 as well as completing tours of the UK, France and Germany, the band took part in a Canadian TV Documentary focussing on the World’s best tribute bands. 2008 will see the show embark on it’s first ever tour of the USA and Canada.

GARY MULLEN

Born in Glasgow in 1973, Gary Mullen has been a lifelong Queen fan. A regular in the karaoke bars around Glasgow, Gary would the wow crowds with his uncanny performance of Queen’s songs.

At 26, while working as a computer sales person, Gary’s wife Jackie and mother Theresa secretly sent away an application to ‘Stars In Their Eyes’. After auditioning as Freddie Mercury, Gary was offered a place in the heats. Gary not only won his heat but went on to become grand final winner of the 2000 series. Polling 864,838 votes in the Live Grand Final, more than double the runner up, this is the all time record number of votes cast for an artiste on this TV show.

After winning the show Gary returned to his computer sales job in Glasgow. He stayed for four weeks but the demand for him to perform was too much and it became apparent that his career choice was about to change quite dramatically. Even Brian May himself wrote to Gary, wishing him well and saying what a remarkable likeness he has to Freddie, in more than just voice and appearance on stage – what finer accolade could there be?!

After touring as a one-man show for a year, Gary decided it was time to put a band together and pursue his dream of filling theatres with his tribute to Freddie and Queen. ’The Works’ were formed at the end of 2001 and One Night of Queen was complete.

Since then, Gary and The Works have thrilled audiences across the UK, Germany, France, Portugal, Holland and as far afield as New Zealand. A very special performance came in 2005 when One Night of Queen were invited to perform at the BBC’s ‘Proms In The Park’ alongside G4, Andrea Bocelli and Simply Red.

Stranger projects have included working for various advertising campaigns. In 2003 Gary recorded a version of ‘I Want To Break Free’ for an Irish internet provider. Gary sang the vocal and the sound was dubbed over an actor’s performance, i.e. someone pretending to be Gary pretending to be Freddie – bizarre!

In 2007 Gary recorded a radio advert for ‘Which?’ magazine, not a Queen song, but specially written lyrics to a popular opera tune. Rumour has it that the members of Queen have heard it and thought it spookily accurate to Freddie’s voice!

Outside of One Night of Queen, Gary is a devoted husband and father to three children. Not only a singer, Gary spends much time playing the guitar, piano and drums and writing original material.

ONE NIGHT OF QUEEN will be performed at the TIMES UNION CENTER’S MORAN THEATER Wednesday, April 8, 2009 for one performance only. Tickets range in price from $30.50 to $80.50. Discounts are available for groups of 10+ or 20+ by calling (904) 632-3228.

To order by phone with Visa, MasterCard, American Express or Discover call the FCCJ Artist Series Box Office at (904) 632-3373 (toll-free outside of Jacksonville 1-888-860-BWAY.)

Tickets are also available online with Instant Seat Selection by visiting the
FCCJ Artist Series’ website, www.artistseries.fccj.org.

THE FCCJ ARTIST SERIES PRESENTS GILLIGAN’S ISLAND THE MUSICAL

The most syndicated show in television history is setting sail on its first National Tour and will be

DOCKING IN JACKSONVILLE
MARCH 6-8, 2009
WILSON CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS

JACKSONVILLE, FL – Look out America, Gilligan's Island The Musical is docking at a desert island near you and the hilarity found in America's most cherished sitcom is in full effect in this larger than life stage musical. Bringing back all those well known and beloved characters from one of the most popular television shows of all time, this lovable musical comedy is sure to please the generations of audiences that the television show first inspired. Gilligan's Island The Musical is coming to Jacksonville’s Wilson Center for the Performing Arts March 6-8, 2009 for four performances only.

"Gilligan's Island" has been a series, three TV movies, two cartoon series, a reality series, and the subject of more comedians' jokes than the mother-in-law. "Gilligan's Island" is an icon whose theme song and characters have become pop culture icons. It has been syndicated on more cable stations than any other series in history and continues to run on both Nickelodeon and TV land. "Three hour tour," "Ginger or Mary Ann," are just a few nuggets from the Gilligans Island television show that remain part of every-day vernacular.

Gilligan's Island The Musical debuted in Flat Rock, North Carolina with Director Steve Rothman after a workshop presentation first seen in the early 1990's. From there, it went to Chicago, San Diego, and Thousand Oaks. And every production was lauded by critics and audiences alike.

"You've got to love it….Timeless" said the Today Show.

"A great time…..Fabulous!" reported CBS Morning News.

And People Magazine described it as "Love and lust among the coconuts."

The creators of the musical- Lloyd Schwartz and Hope and Laurence Juber- have continued to hone and develop the play over the years. Loyd is the son and long-time collaborator of Sherwood Schwartz, the creator of the "Gilligan's Island" television series, as well as "The Brady Bunch" television series. Hope Juber is Sherwood's daughter.

Gilligan's Island: The Musical is a straightforward story of relationships and survival. Beginning with the #1 TV theme song of all time, Gilligan, The Skipper, Mary Ann, Ginger, The Professor, and The Millionaire and his wife are shipwrecked and trying to get off the island. Natural disasters befall them, hurricanes, quicksand, etc., as they learn to get along and survive. Their biggest challenge comes from the U.F.O. and its Alien, who monitors their behavior. By the end of the play, the castaways manage to defeat the extraterrestrial and save the entire planet, while staying marooned themselves. Updated somewhat to reflect the times, Gilligan's Island: The Musical still has comedy, heart, love, drama, nostalgia, and sing-able songs that stick true to the characters that audiences have fallen in love with for the last 40 years.

GILLIGAN’S ISLAND THE MUSICAL will be performed at the WILSON CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS March 6-8, 2009 for four performances only. Tickets cost $40.50. Discounts are available for groups of 10+, 20+, or 40+ by calling (904) 632-3228.

To order by phone with Visa, MasterCard, American Express or Discover call the FCCJ Artist Series Box Office at (904) 632-3373 (toll-free outside of Jacksonville 1-888-860-BWAY.)

Tickets are also available online with Instant Seat Selection by visiting the
FCCJ Artist Series’ website, www.artistseries.fccj.org.

MOMIX

Review by Mia Carlin

MOMIX is a company of dancer-illusionists under the direction of Moses Pendleton. For over 25 years, MOMIX has been celebrated for its ability to conjure up a world of surrealistic images using prop, light, shadow, humor & the human body.

With its hypnotic imagery, fluid movements and overall mysticism, MOMIX is both provocative and mesmerizing. Hypnotized by each piece in the program, you forget that you are watching the actual dancers live. Some of the pieces are so magical that you wonder how on earth they pulled it off. Being in the 2nd row you would think that one would be able to identify a little bit of realism, but not me. Everything about the performance completely stunned me, leaving me awestruck about what I had just witnessed. From a very wide & creative range of ideas, MOMIX had the ability to re-invent snakes, fire, galaxies, mythology & body part separation from just a few pieces of gym equipment, lights, one screen & ribbon.

The lighting & sculpture props spellbind you in such a way that you really feel part of the story – that somehow you have been transcended in time into this foreign hemisphere. And not only are the dancers skilled but they are beautiful. I mean, strikingly, angelically beautiful! Their bodies are perfectly sculpted and it feels as though you are viewing a real life God or Goddess in action. Zeus, Athena, Triton, you name it – these dancers look like the work of Michelangelo in the Sistine Chapel.

Not to mention the precise & captivating choreography. This is not just a dance performance of skill & acrobatics, but fluid movements of dynamics, muscle & strength.

The dancers use all of their body weight, holding it in mid air while being twisted, turned & glided for several minutes at a time, and for a moment you really feel as if they are actually flying. There are no strings involved – no tricks of any kind, just the dancers and their one prop – gliding them through mid air like mystified beings from another universe, another plain in time.

Although alluring in nature, MOMIX excerpts also found ways to humor the audience. In one piece, several dancers are connected head - to – ass, as they writhe on the floor to form a completely wacky centipede; making you wonder just how far one will go for the love of dance.. Another piece has the stage lit up by a black light, giving the illusion of flying seagulls, mouths, and television sets rather than dancers dressed in all black with white arms. One of the last pieces, 4 silhouetted dancers eventually morphed into one via the illusion of a giant screen & light projection. This piece went from a beautiful version of Adam & Eve to them morphing into one body & Eve’s head coming out of Adam’s crotch.

Imagination is a funny thing – a wonderful thing. It’s one of the most important outlets in life that keeps us centered when things to wrong or when life gets tough. Imagination is something that expands our minds while in the midst of boredom. It can be our friend when we have none, our teacher when we’re craving to learn, the lighted path from our hearts to our future. For Moses Pendleton, it was just that. An imaginative boy born & raised on a lonely dairy farm in North Vermont, who wanted to find a way to share his childhood fantasies with the world – and so he did.

This is not to say that we should escape from all responsibilities that adulthood has brought to our doorstep, but damn it if we can’t be excused for being absentee from it for a couple of hours.

MOMIX

THE FCCJ ARTIST SERIES PRESENTS
MOMIX
COMING TO JACKSONVILLE
JANUARY 29, 2009 7:30 PM
THE FLORIDA THEATRE

JACKSONVILLE, FL – MOMIX transports audiences from their everyday lives to a fantasy world through its trademark use of magical lighting and imagery. Momix has thrilled fans in over 22 countries and has been featured on stage, screen and television. In an endless search for another gravity, Artistic Director Moses Pendleton combines athletic dance, riveting music, outrageous costumes, inventive props, and pure talent to create an entertaining multimedia experience.

The FCCJ Artist Series presents MOMIX, the company of dancer-illusionists and ingenious artistry founded by Moses Pendleton, coming to Jacksonville on Thursday, January 29, 2009 at 7:30 PM at The Florida Theatre for one performance only.

Under the artistic direction of Moses Pendleton, MOMIX brings a mesmerizing experience to audiences by presenting its unique combination of spectacle, visual wit and fantasy. Using light, shadow, props and eclectic music, Pendleton's genius for endless creativity results in endless possibility. His well-trained troupe of performers takes arabesques and pirouettes beyond the limit in performances that a New York Times critic recently noted, "defy the impossible."

MOMIX is celebrating its 20th anniversary this month with a return to New York's Joyce Theater for a three week run. Making its world premiere is Pendleton's new work, "Opus Cactus," which has audiences cheering at its beauty and sheer physical daring. Also appearing are two acclaimed and popular favorites, "MOMIX in Orbit" and "Passion," full "of those patented MOMIX moments - when your eyes forget to blink and your breath forgets to come out" (NY Newsday).

MOMIX has brought its unique style of surreal, sublime performance to theaters, screens and arenas around the globe. The company has been the focus of award-winning specials for PBS in the U.S. and for RAI in Italy, and has appeared on other broadcasts in more than 55 countries. MOMIX participated in the "Homage a Picasso" in Paris and represented the U.S. at the European Cultural Center event at Delphi. For the IMAX screen, the company's mix of power, magic and rhythmic movement is captured in the film, "Imagine." MOMIX also appeared with the Montreal Symphony in the Rhombus Media film, "Pictures at an Exhibition."

MOMIX will be performed at THE FLORIDA THEATRE on Thursday, January 29, 2009 at 7:30 PM. Tickets range in price from $30.50 to $70.50. Discounts are available for groups of 15+ or 40+ by calling (904) 632-3228.

To order by phone with Visa, MasterCard, American Express or Discover call the FCCJ Artist Series Box Office at (904) 632-3373 (toll-free outside of Jacksonville 1-888-860-BWAY.)

Tickets are also available online with Instant Seat Selection by visiting the
FCCJ Artist Series’ website, www.artistseries.fccj.org.

WICKED

PRESENTED BY FCCJ ARTIST SERIES/SUNTRUST
BROADWAY ACROSSAMERICA – JACKSONVILLE

BROADWAY’S BIGGEST BLOCKBUSTER
COMES TO JACKSONVILLE
ON SALE DATE SET FOR
FRIDAY, JANUARY 16


BY STEPHEN SCHWARTZ AND WINNIE HOLZMAN
BASED ON THE NOVEL BY GREGORY MAGUIRE
MUSICAL STAGING BY WAYNE CILENTO
DIRECTED BY JOE MANTELLO

SO MUCH HAPPENED BEFORE DOROTHY DROPPED IN

Who:
Ticket buyers for the most anticipated musical production of the 2008-2009 Season!

What:

WICKED, the Tony Award winning smash hit Broadway Musical, goes on sale to the public! Ticket buyers are invited to special box office opening festivities. The first 95 people in line to make a purchase at the Times Union Center will receive a WICKED Cap. WAPE 95.1 and WMXQ 102.9 The Point will be broadcasting live on location in front of the theater for two hours, playing music and providing entertainment for those in line, as well as providing breakfast.

When:
Friday, January 16, 2009 8:00 AM – 10:00 AM

Where:
Times Union Center for the Performing Arts
300 Water St.
Jacksonville, FL 32202

BOX OFFICE INFO:
WICKED will be performed at the TIMES UNION CENTER’S MORAN THEATER APRIL 23 – MAY 10 for twenty-two performances. Tickets start at $30, plus applicable service charge and facility usage fee. Patrons are limited to 8 tickets per person. Discounts are available for groups of 15 by calling (904) 632-3228.

GISELLE

THE FCCJ ARTIST SERIES PRESENTS
A. ADAM
GISELLE
AND THE
STATE BALLET THEATER OF RUSSIA

COMING TO JACKSONVILLE
JANUARY 9, 2009 8:00 PM
TIMES UNION CENTER - MORAN THEATER

JACKSONVILLE, FL – The tale of never-ending love – Giselle is without question the most romantic of all the classical ballets. Regarded as a masterpiece of traditional romantic ballet, Giselle is a favorite among dance aficionados and novices alike. First performed by the Paris Opera in 1841, ballet’s most famous story about love and redemption from the great beyond has been enchanting audiences for more than 175 years. Performed by a company of 50 dancers, Giselle comes to Jacksonville on Friday, January 9, 2009 to the Times Union Center’s Moran Theater at 8:00 PM for one performance only.


THE STORY

In this timeless ballet, Giselle tells the story of the tragic love triangle between Giselle, a weak-hearted young girl who is adored by her native villagers, Hans, the village gamekeeper, who is desperately in love with Giselle, and Count Albert, a engaged nobleman who becomes captivated by Giselle's frail beauty and innocence.

Hans, filled with suspicion and jealousy, becomes enraged when Giselle falls madly in love with Albert and believes that they are engaged and exposes Albert's disguise and reveals that he is already betrothed.

Overwhelmingly distraught and horrified, Giselle dies of a broken heart. Upon Giselle’s death, the Wilis appear, a group of jilted maidens who have died before their wedding night and vengefully trap any man who enters their domain, forcing him to dance to his death.

Hans is discovered beside Giselle’s body by Queen Myrta, the leader of the Wilis, and orders the Wilis to dance around him until he dies from exhaustion. Myrta then orders the same fate for Count Albert, but the Wilis cannot break through the invisible bond of love Giselle has for him. At dawn, when the Wilis lose their power and must retreat to their dwelling place, Albert is saved and Giselle forgives him.

Giselle returns with the Wilis and recognizes that now she will be one of them for the rest of time.

GISELLE will be performed at the TIMES UNION CENTER’S MORAN THEATER on Friday, January 9, 2009 at 8:00 PM for one performance only. Tickets range in price from $40.00 to $60.00. Discounts are available for groups of 15+ or 40+ by calling (904) 632-3228.

To order by phone with Visa, MasterCard, American Express or Discover call the FCCJ Artist Series Box Office at (904) 632-3373 (toll-free outside of Jacksonville 1-888-860-BWAY.)

Tickets are also available online with Instant Seat Selection by visiting the
FCCJ Artist Series’ website, www.artistseries.fccj.org.

The FCCJ Artist Series is recognized by the State of Florida as a Major Sponsor/Presenter Cultural Institution and is sponsored in part by the State of Florida, through the Florida Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs and the Florida Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Blue Velvet Evolve
Chelleby Photography
www.myspace.com/chelleby

Exhibit shown on:
October 30, 2008 7-10pm

at:
Bogda
1253 McDuff Ave. South
Jacksonville, FL 32205
(904)387-0852
shopbogda@gmail.com
www.myspace.com/shopbogda


“Life is a gift - Death, our promise.

Time is an illusion for the mortals. To compare their greatness to the Almighty is a gift from the Supreme Deity for us to replenish and recover from all of our folly.”

- Chelleby: Blue Velvet Evolve

Blue Velvet Evolve is an artistic protest against all of the unsolved murders of victims ages 18-24 in Jacksonville , Florida. The photography showcase was originally going to show blue velvet fabric in all of the photos, however, art photographer, Chelleby decided to take it out – hence the name “Blue Velvet Evolve.”

Chelleby further explains, “Blue velvet was the original lining of caskets. I decided that the work evolved from the caskets itself, to being actual stories of murder victims in the habitat in which they died.” The pictures are to recreate & represent crime scene photos graphically posed with blood. Chelleby posed the models naked, covered in fake blood on prominent Jacksonville monuments to make a statement. Chelleby say, “If I’m doing public nude exposures in broad daylight at various times of the day then what’s going on in this city at night?”

The artist herself has been affected by young murders in her own life. Her friend Angie, whom she’d known since childhood, was murdered allegedly by her boyfriend by the age of 22. In Angie’s honor, Chelleby has displayed a phantom letter written in Angie’s words from a dream Chelleby had about Angie prior to the show.

Angie’s murder has remained unsolved to this day.

The artist Chelleby has had over 17 friends murdered or died of mysterious deaths, all under the age of 22 years old. Chelleby explains, “By having so many youthful deaths in my lifetime, it’s given me a carpe diem to be as caring & loving to those around me. I don’t believe in tomorrow anymore. I get everything done today.

Although Chelleby’s appearance is a darker, edgy mix of Marilyn Monroe & Edie Sedgewick, her inner beauty shows that she is a joyous person, happy & loving to those around her. In Blue Velvet Evolve she hopes not to bring depression & cynicism to her viewers but to enlighten them about what’s happening in our city. Chelleby clarifies, “I hope that the art show will raise awareness of all the youthful deaths & murders in Jacksonville, so that we can come together to help prevent youthful deaths in our community.

Related links: www.outofthedarkness.org
(A community walk / foundation for suicide prevention.
Saturday Nov 2nd and the Seawalk Pavilion)

- Mia Carlin