The Ritz Presents: The Amazing Kreskin on Saturday, March 24

The Amazing Kreskin, World-Famous Mentalist

“Even now, I know what you’re thinking!”

The Ritz Theater is pleased to present the world’s most famous mentalist, The Amazing Kreskin on Saturday, March 24 with two performances at 3 PM and 8PM in the Ritz Theater Lobby at 107 Broadway in Newburgh. Kreskin promises to find his hidden check or forfeit his fee!

The Amazing Kreskin, a bona fide mentalist, has been captivating audiences for more than six decades, with a showman’s flair and comedian’s wit! His very name has become an integral part of pop culture throughout the world, invoked in comedy clubs, comic strips, print stories, and TV shows.

In 2008, Tom Hanks produced and co-starred with John Malkovich in “The Great Buck Howard” which was fashioned after the Amazing Kreskin’s life. After over 50 years of performing, Kreskin has a new cult following. To quote David Letterman, “Kreskin should sue the producers of the TV show, “The Mentalist” for stealing his act. He’s the best mentalist in the world and he’s not acting!” Kreskin can tell people things about themselves that only a close family member or friend would know!

For his performance in Newburgh, The Amazing Kreskin has asked that his check be hidden somewhere in the Ritz Theater Lobby during the show. He will attempt to find it and if he fails, he will forfeit his fee. In addition Kreskin will offer $1,000,000.00 to anybody who can prove that he employs paid secret assistants or confederates in any phase of his program to help him perform his mentalist “effects.”

The performances will be held in the Ritz Theater Lobby at 107 Broadway in Newburgh. Tickets are $25 each. Tickets may be purchased by calling the Ritz Theater Box Office at (845) 784-1199, all major credit cards accepted. Tickets are also available through TicketWeb at (866) 468-7619, www.ticketweb.com All tickets are general admission and seating is limited.

For more information about the historic Ritz Theater, and schedule of events call (845) 784-1199.

To purchase tickets online:

• 3PM performance click here for TicketWeb link.
• 8PM performance click here for TicketWeb link.

Follow these VIDEO links to view more on Kreskin
Halloween show with Regis & Kathy Lee.
http://www.youtube.com

Late Night with Jimmy Fallon:
http://www.youtube.com

Kreskin live on Fox News with Mike Huckabee
http://www.youtube.com

The Ritz presents Bucky Pizzarelli on March 10!

The Ritz Theater and La Bella Strings, in association with the Bardavon, are pleased to announce the next concert of the 2011-12 Tom Humphrey Guitar Series. On Saturday, March 10 at 8 PM, Bucky Pizzarelli, is back by popular demand with Ed Laub! A perennial favorite, celebrating 65 years as a performer, Bucky Pizzarelli, will return to the Ritz with 7-string guitar master Ed Laub. For more than half a century, the legendary Jazz guitarist, Pizzarelli has been a part of the fraternity of musicians who have kept mainstream and traditional Jazz alive, and Laub has been playing the guitar for over 50 years and has performed with such artists as Gene Bertoncini, Martin Pizzarelli, Lenny Argese, Frank Vignola, Bill Wurtzel, Jack Wilkins and Kenny Rankin. “Pizzarelli is the complete jazz musician and Laub complements him perfectly.” All About Jazz

The Tom Humphrey Guitar Series serves to honor the memory of the legendary Hudson Valley-based luthier who passed away in 2008. The idea for the concerts came from Tom Humphrey just two months before his death. In a series of meetings with Chris Silva of the Bardavon, Richard Cocco, Jr. of La Bella Strings and Tricia Haggerty Wenz of the Ritz Theater and Safe Harbors of the Hudson, Humphrey laid the ground work for a guitar series at the Ritz which in its first three seasons has presented performances by Odair Assad, Pete Seeger, Cindy Cashdollar, Larry Coryell, and many others.

The concerts will be held in the Ritz Theater Lobby at 107 Broadway in Newburgh. Tickets are $25 each. Tickets may be purchased by calling the Ritz Theater Box Office at (845) 784-1199, all major credit cards accepted. Tickets are also available through TicketWeb at (866) 468-7619, www.ticketweb.com All tickets are general admission and seating is limited.

The last concert of the 2011-12 season will feature Geoff Muldaur on April 21, 2012. The Box Office opens at 7:00 pm and concerts begin at 8 pm (doors open at 7:30 pm).

For more information about the series and the historic Ritz Theater, call (845) 784-1199.

RESCHEDULED: The Ritz Theater Presents an Evening with Local Literati

Please note: Due to inclement weather, Local Literati has been POSTPONED until Saturday, February 4 at 7PM.

A Celebration of Hudson Valley Talent

The Ritz Theater is pleased to present local authors, Terry Sandler and Susan Schoenberger, *rescheduled from Saturday, January 21 to FEBRUARY 4 at 7 PM in the Ritz Theater Lobby at 107 Broadway in Newburgh. Each author will be reading excerpts from recent works and speaking to the audience, sharing insights and reflections on their writing. …continue reading

The Ritz Presents Richard McGraw on Saturday, February 11

“Newburgh CD Release Concert”
The Ritz Theater is pleased to present local folk singer and songwriter, Richard McGraw on Saturday, February 11 at 8 PM in the Ritz Theater Lobby at 107 Broadway in Newburgh. Richard McGraw will be performing with Matt Kanelos, piano; Joshua Flieschmann, drums and Ben Gallina, bass to celebrate the release of his new record “Popular Music.” …continue reading

Vignola’s Hot Jazz Warms Up The Ritz

December 7th, 2011
By Matt Frey
Mid Hudson Times

Returning to the Ritz Theater this Saturday, Dec. 10 are the gypsy jazz specialists of Frank Vignola’s Hot Club, whose sweltering blend of contemporary and classical tunes have burned up the Tom Humphrey Guitar Series for the past three seasons.

According to Brianna Cox, Communications, Development and Marketing Associate for the theater, Vignola’s performance last year was a sold out, standing room only gig. But if you’ve never heard of the band, which is comprised of two guitar players and a lone violinist, you might wondering what to expect.

In a way, so is Vignola.

“It’s basically timeless, great melodies we play – everything from Beethoven’s Fifth to Hoagy Carmichael to Django Reinhardt to Les Paul to Simon and Garfunkel to Frank Zappa to a Beatles medley,” said Vignola. “Mozart; ‘Swan Lake,’ we even play ‘Swan Lake.’”

When asked if he was hoping for a similar standing room only outcome to his upcoming concert, Vignola said, “I hope so, or else maybe I should try a different form of music.”

Like many notable musicians, Vignola got his start playing the guitar early in life.

“I grew up playing and learning traditional jazz in the style of Les Paul and Louie Armstrong,” said the guitarist.

But it wasn’t until decades later that he branched out to include eclectic material in his performances, such as songs by rockers The Police and the classic “Flight of the Bumblebee” in rapid succession.

“After 35 or 40 years touring and playing music, I found myself attracted to just great melodies, no matter what genre of music,” Vignola said.

Vignola plays between 200 and 250 performances a year and has wowed audiences in places like Italy, Singapore and Australia, as well as most of the states here in America. But even with all of his worldly experience, Vignola says that there’s something special about the Ritz and the local populous that keeps him coming back.

“The Ritz Theater is a great venue,” he said. “Especially in Orange County, there’s a lot of music lovers. So I find that when I play in the area, a lot of people come out – a lot of guitar fans.”

While some might scoff at the approximately $12 million needed to restore the Ritz Theater to its former glory, Vignola thinks it can be done. In fact, he’s seen similar things happen in other communities around the country with stellar results.

“I just am looking forward to the restoration to be completed,” he said. “It’s a wonderful thing they’re doing. It’s very difficult, especially in these times, to raise the money to restore a theater like that. But I travel all over the country, and there are theaters everywhere that have been restored from the 1920s and ‘30s, and it’s so cool to play in those venues, you know?

“I consider us sometimes a vaudeville style act, where we travel around in the car, we set up our amps and we entertain people. So to play in theaters like that is really is a big thrill for me.”

Vignola – who lives in Warwick with his wife and four children when he’s not touring – thinks that once the Ritz Theater renovations have been completed, the venue will become an economic engine for the cash-strapped city.

“Local economies really thrive when they have art programs going on. I see that all over the country,” he said. “It really stimulates the local economy.”

When 200 people come to see a concert, many of them patronize local businesses before and after the show, Vignola said.

Also, some of those people are young guitarists trying to hone their craft, he said. Meeting these young virtuosos is one of Vignola’s greatest joys.

“You know what’s really exciting for me? Everywhere we go, there’s a handful of young guitar players who show up. They’re just playing great; they’re really into the music and I think that’s the power of the Internet and Youtube and being able to study and watch the masters. It’s really interesting the affect it has on the younger generation playing guitar.”

The show begins at 8 p.m. Saturday in the Ritz Theater lobby, located at 107 Broadway in Newburgh. Tickets are $25 each and are available by calling TicketWeb at 866-468-7619, via the Ritz Theater website at www.ritztheaternewburgh.org, or at the recently renovated Ritz Theater Box Office in person or by calling 845-784-1199. Admission includes a reception with the musicians immediately following the concert.

Saturday also marks the opening of the newest Ann Street Art Gallery show, Woven Stories: Contemporary Tapestry, right around the corner, from 6 to 9 p.m.