IN THE ARTS

The original "Jersey Boy," Frankie Valli (right), will perform Friday at 9:30 p.m. at Pollak Theatre, Monmouth University, West Long Branch, for the Breeders' Cup Charity Celebration Gala. The event, hosted by Breeders' Cup Limited, will raise funds for the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation, Monmouth University and Monmouth Park Charities. The gala will be held in Wilson Hall, a national historic landmark, followed by Valli's performance. Valli last performed on campus with the Four Seasons (above) in 1968 and received an honorary degree in 2006. He became a household name in the early 1960s, and in 1990, Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Ricky Skaggs & Bruce Hornsby will appear at the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank Friday at 8 p.m. Skaggs, one of bluegrass and country music's most recognized ambassadors, teams with virtuoso singer/songwriter, pianist Hornsby for an eclectic evening featuring music from their brand-new duet album. Tickets: $60 - $27. The Count Basie Theatre is located at 99 Monmouth St. For tickets, call the box office at (732) 842-9000 or visit www.countbasietheatre.org.

Last Comic Standing Live! will come to the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank Sunday at 7:30 p.m. The show stars the Final Five: Jon Reep, Lavell Crawford, Gerry Dee, Ralph Harris and Amy Schumer from the Emmy Award-nominated NBC-TV show "Last Comic Standing." Tickets: $39.50-$25 at the box office, 99 Monmouth St., or www.countbasietheatre. org.

A Third Anniversary Classical Concert will be performed Sunday, Oct. 28, at 3 p.m., to celebrate the third anniversary of the reopening of Middletown Main Library. The concert is free to the public, but tickets are required: Call (732) 671-3700 ext. 3. The library is located at 55 New Monmouth Road. For information, call (732) 671-3700.

Jersey Shore resident and professional photographer Lucia Ravens received honors in the "Deeper Perspective" category for her work "A Portrait of Peace" at the "Oscars of Photography." The fifth annual Lucie Awards, was held at Lincoln Center Avery Fisher Hall in N.Y.C. Oct. 15. Ravens is a member of The Guild of Creative Art in Shrewsbury. Her work can be viewed at www.luciaravens.com.

Singers are invited to join the Monmouth Civic Chorus for a Halloween

open sing of "Carmina Burana" Oct. 30 at 7:30 p.m. at Trinity Episcopal Church, 65 W. Front St., Red Bank. Free. Loaner scores available.

Refreshments after the sing. For information, call:(732) 933-9333 or visit www.monmouthcivicchorus.org.

The Count Basie Theatre is once again holding a raffle for two tickets to every show in 2008. Only 1,000 tickets are being sold between Oct. 1 and Dec. 31. The winner will be announced New Year's Eve (need not be present).

The raffle winner will receive two tickets in the first 10 rows of for all shows running Jan. 1 - Dec. 31. Raffle tickets are $50 and can be purchased at www.countbasietheatre. org or by calling the box office at (732) 842-9000.

The Children's Entertainment Series at The Eatontown Playhouse, which runs Saturday and Sunday at noon, is presenting "The Haunting of Hathaway House" and "Once Upon a Midnight Dreary" through Oct. 27. Tickets $12.

For reservations, call (732) 888-0339or visit www.eatontownplayhouse.com. The playhouse is located in the Tower Market Shopping Center, 37-13 Route 35 north.

Badal Roy & Friends will perform Sunday, Nov. 4, at 4 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Meeting House, 1475 W. Front St., Lincroft. Roy is one of the world's leading tabla (Indian hand drum) players. Badal has taken the tabla from its traditional role and placed it in the realm of jazz, Latin and improvisational music. Tickets are $25; $15 students and seniors; $5 for children under 12. For more information, call the UU office at (732)-747-0707.

The Last Thursday evening of every month is a time for poets and poetry at Middletown Township Public Library. On Thursday, Oct. 27, at 7 p.m., Diane Lockward and Michael Thomas will read their own poetry and favorite poems, followed by an open mic moderated by Gloria Rovder Healy.

Lockward is an award-winning author whose poems have been published in many anthologies and journals. Thomas, an award-winning poet, is assistant dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at Monmouth University. No reservations required. The library is located at 55 New Monmouth Road in Middletown. Visit the library Web site at mtpl.org for more information.

Parents of Autistic Children (POAC) is casting a rock opera about families living with autism. Strong actors and singers, ages 18 and over, are needed for "Day After Day." Be prepared to sing 16 bars a cappella of a rock/pop song or Broadway song in the style of "Rent." Needed are two boys ages 9-14, a girl age 8-10. Audition dates are Sunday, Oct. 28 and Nov. 4, noon - 4 p.m. Call ( 732) 458- 3902 for an audition appointment.

Music historian Barry Rosenzweig will share an entertaining commentary, "Lifting the War Clouds: The Music of World War II," Tuesday, Oct. 30, in the Warner Student Life Center, lower level, Twin Lights I room. The event runs from 7:30 - 9:30 p.m. The lecture is the perfect prelude to get "In the Mood" for the annual "Swing Era" Dinner Dance at Gibbs Hall, Fort Monmouth Friday, Nov. 9. Lecture fee is $10 for adults, $5 for students. Brookdale students no charge. Call (732) 224-2315 to register or to purchase tickets for the Swing Era Dinner Dance, $49.

The Shrewsbury Players is celebrating its 10th season with a production of the classic Thornton Wilder play "Our Town" (original version) Friday and Saturday evenings, Nov. 2, 3, 9, 10, 16 and 17 at 8 p.m. and Sunday matinees Nov. 11 and 18 at 2 p.m. Performances at The Shrewsbury Church House, 352 Sycamore Ave., Shrewsbury. Tickets are $20, $16 seniors and students and & $8 children 10 and under. For reservations or information, call (732) 741-0722 or (732) 389-5648.

Over the Rainbow Productions at The Eatontown Playhouse presents

"American Buffalo" by David Mamet on Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m., Nov. 2 - 11. Ages 17 and above (parental guidance). Tickets $22, $17 for seniors & students.

When a Buffalo-head nickel happens to be worth a pretty penny, a junkshop owner decides that this may be his ticket to easy street. For reservations, call (732) 888-0339 or visit www.eatontownplayhouse. com. The playhouse is located in the Tower Market Shopping Center, 37- 13 Route 35 north.

The Art Alliance of Monmouth County, 33 Monmouth St., Red Bank, will present its 21st annual statewide juried exhibit next month. An opening reception will be held Saturday, Nov. 3, 6 - 8 p.m. and the exhibit will run through Nov. 27. The exhibit will be judged by Debra Force, a specialist in American fine art of the 18th through 20th century. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday, noon to 4 p.m.

For more information, visit www.artallianceofmonmouth. org or call (732) 842-9403.

Compiled by Gloria Stravelli