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State Theatre presents Johnny Mathis

originally published: 10/18/2022

(NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ) -- The newly renovated State Theatre New Jersey presents Johnny Mathis: The Voice of Romance Tour on Saturday, October 29 at 8:00pm. Opening for Mathis is special guest, Gary Mule Deer. Tickets range from $49-$233.  

Best-known for his supremely popular hits like “Chances Are,” “It's Not For Me To Say,” and “Misty,” Johnny Mathis has recorded close to 80 albums, six Christmas albums, and has sold millions of records worldwide. During his extensive career he has had three songs inducted into the Grammy® Hall of Fame, achieved 50 Hits on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary Chart, and ranks as the all-time #6 album artist in the history of Billboard’s pop album charts. He has received five Grammy® nominations, and in 2003 was given the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences. His 1958 album Johnny’s Greatest Hits started the music industry tradition of “Greatest Hits” albums, which is noted in Guinness Book Of World Records for a nearly 10-year run on the Billboard Top Albums Chart. 

In addition to all this Mathis and his music have appeared in numerous films and TV shows, including The Tonight Show, Silver Linings Playbook, Family Ties, Criminal Minds, Gremlins, Mad Men, and Close Encounters of the Third Kind, just to name a few. In 2017, he released his 78^th studio album titled Johnny Mathis Sings The Great New American Songbook, and debuted his two “lost” albums—I Love My Lady produced by Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards of the pivotal group CHIC; and The Island with Sergio Mendes. Mathis continues to be Columbia Records longest signed recording artist. 

Gary Mule Deer’s comedy and music have set him apart as one-of-a-kind. He has performed on nearly every major concert stage in the country and made over 360 television appearances, with many on both The Tonight Show and David Letterman. He was one of six comedians, along with Jay Leno, to star on the first HBO® Comedy Special, was the comedy host of Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert for four years on NBC, and a series regular on Make Me Laugh. He is currently featured on the DVDs Jeff Foxworthy’s Comedy Classics and The World’s Greatest Stand-up Comedy Collection. He is one of the most played comedians on Sirius XM’s Laugh USA. 

Deer appears regularly on the Grand Ole Opry. And in a career spanning over five decades, he has shared the stage with more than a hundred music legends. He has performed everywhere from Carnegie Hall to Royal Albert Hall and has been part of the Johnny Mathis show as Special Guest since 1994 in major venues across the country.

 

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After major renovations, State Theatre New Jersey has reopened and celebrated its 100th Anniversary in December 2021 in a fully renovated theater including newly renovated lobbies, all new restrooms, upgraded HVAC systems, a new elevator for access to all levels, and brand-new theater seats. Originally built as a silent film and vaudeville palace, State Theatre’s historic significance was honored by PBS by featuring it in its documentary series, Treasures of New Jersey, in the fall of 2018. “Treasures of New Jersey: State Theatre New Jersey” can be streamed online.

Today, State Theatre is the largest performing arts center in Central New Jersey and has welcomed more than six million people through its doors since reopening as a non-profit performing arts center in 1988. State Theatre New Jersey is a cornerstone of the cultural vitality of Middlesex County and averages a total economic impact on New Brunswick and the surrounding area of more than $18 million a year. The mainstage programs have featured high-caliber artists such as Diana Ross, Tony Bennett, Kevin Hart, Ringo Starr, Melissa Etheridge, John Leguizamo, Harry Connick, Jr., Diana Krall, and Crosby, Stills & Nash. Program offerings include Broadway, orchestra, family, dance, comedy, rock/pop, jazz, Performances for Schools, and Sensory-Friendly Performances. 

State Theatre New Jersey’s programs are made possible by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts. Grant funding has been provided by the Middlesex County Board of County Commissioners through a grant award from the Middlesex County Cultural and Arts Trust Fund. 

PHOTO by Elliot Lee Hazel