Avenel Performing Arts Center Presents COCKTAIL HOUR: THE SHOW

This August, as part of its inaugural season, the Avenel Performing Arts Center presents Cocktail Hour: The Show, by New York City-based company Ballets with a Twist. The five-performance summer run will feature two different program line-ups on the following dates:

• Thursday, August 1, at 8pm
• Friday, August 2, at 8pm
• Saturday, August 3, at 2pm and 8pm
• Sunday, August 4, at 3pm

Throughout the evening, beer, wine, and a special selection of cocktails and mocktails from the program will be available.

Tickets are $39.50. Discounts are available for seniors, active military, and groups of 10 or more. To purchase, go to avenelarts.com, call 732-314-0500, or visit the box office at 150 Avenel Street.

Created by artistic director and choreographer Marilyn Klaus, Cocktail Hour: The Show reinvents the glamour and excitement of classic entertainment with an original mix of charismatic choreography, intoxicating music and exquisite costume design. This pop-infused performing arts experience combines the magnetism of Hollywood's Golden Age with a sleek twenty-first-century sensibility, capturing the timeless American spirit in a series of witty, sparkling vignettes. It's high-style fun for all ages to enjoy.

Program highlights include

• "Hot Toddy" (PREMIERE) - Are these cats on the level or on the lam? Mayhem reigns supreme in this red-hot rollick through the Roaring Twenties.
• "Martini" - A dangerous, percussive score sets the stage for this blonde bombshell super-spy, who dodges sharpshooters and stays cool in hot situations.
• "Cuba Libre" - Sparks fly on a hot Havana night when rum and cola collide.

Klaus, whose choreography has been seen internationally, formed Ballets with a Twist in association with Grammy-nominated composer Stephen Gaboury and costume designer Catherine Zehr. Her company - lauded by The Huffington Post for "blasting the boundaries between high art and entertainment" - has appeared in a wide range of venues throughout the country, from Cleveland's Playhouse Square and New York City's Beacon Theatre to Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts and the Tribeca Film Festival.

Gaboury's compositions have been performed by celebrated musicians nationwide. As a pianist, he has collaborated and toured the world with pop/rock icon Cyndi Lauper for more than a decade, most recently joining her alongside the New York Pops at Carnegie Hall and the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl. He has also accompanied such artists as Patti LaBelle, Norah Jones, and Sarah McLachlan, and has performed at internationally televised events such as the Nobel Peace Prize Award Ceremony and the New Year's Eve Times Square Ball Drop. Gaboury's music has been heard in concert, on television, and in films (including Boyhood and American Beauty).

Zehr is the artistic force behind the company's costume design. Her creations evoke the origins and essence of each dance with dazzling colors and ornamentation. Zehr honed her skills while working at major American fashion houses, then by designing and manufacturing attire for her own label. She studied art and design at Washington University and New York City's Fashion Institute of Technology, where she and the company delivered the presentation "Designing Costumes for Ballets with a Twist" as part of The Museum at FIT's Fashion Culture series.

Craving more Twist culture? Visit balletswithatwist.com.

The Avenel Performing Arts Center (APAC) is a multi-disciplinary performing arts center located in Avenel, New Jersey. Funded by the Woodbridge Arts Alliance, The APAC promises to energize Avenel and surrounding communities by programming exceptional, professional theatre, music, comedy, dance and more.

For more information, visit avenelarts.com.

Photo by Nico Malvaldi

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