Theater: Jay and Silent Bob Takeover

A Jay and Silent Bob takeover is underway this week at , when the legendary duo invades for two days of hilariously raunchy fun. 

On Friday, Oct. 7, Count Basie will host a free all day Jay and Silent Bob movie marathon in preparation for Saturday’s Jay and Silent Bob Get Old live tour.

If Jay and Silent Bob are too much for you to handle, stop by on Thursday, Oct. 6, and check out a performance by The Partridge Family’s David Cassidy.  

If you are looking for a total change of pace, check out some great jazz and instrumentals by Esperanza Spalding Chamber Music Society on Monday, Oct. 10.

Nothing will make you laugh more this week than the Jay and Silent Bob film festival on Friday, Oct. 7. A native of the Leonardo section of Middletown, Kevin Smith began his filmmaking career with a credit card and a dream. 

He filmed the 1994 classic Clerks in a Leonardo convenience store and introduced his iconic characters, Jay and Silent Bob, to the world. A legend was born, and Smith went onto make more Jersey based films, such as Mallrats, Chasing Amy and Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back.

If you just can’t get enough of the dynamic duo, grab tickets for Saturday’s Jay and Silent Bob Get Old, when Kevin Smith (Silent Bob) and Jason Mewes (Jay) will take the stage for one of their epic length Q&A sessions. Together, the two are unpredictable, hilarious and occasionally heartfelt as they treat the audience to snippets of life in Hollywood and growing up.

If you are more Partridge Family than Jay and Silent Bob, head to the Basie on Thursday, Oct. 6, when David Cassidy takes the stage. Cassidy is best known for playing Keith Partridge on the 1970’s hit the Partridge Family, and was a hugely popular teen idol.

Cassidy is probably best known for his hit I Think I Love You, made famous on the Partridge Family. I Think I Love You was the best selling record of 1971, and was the reason that Cassidy pursued a solo career after leaving the Partridge Family.

Cassidy began his solo career with the hit I Write the Songs, a huge hit in Britain before it went on to become a Barry Manilow classic. He was also known for such hits as Doesn’t Somebody Want to Be Wanted, I Woke Up in Love This Morning, Breaking Up is Hard to Do, and I Think I Love You.  

On Monday, Oct. 10, the hugely talented Esperanza Spalding graces the stage of Count Basie. Her voice has been called “part angel and part siren,” and her musical chops are undeniable. She is considered the future of jazz and instrumental music.

Born in a multi-lingual household in Portland, Oregon, Spalding learned the characteristics of perseverance from growing up in a single parent home. She realized at only four years old that she wanted to pursue music. She was playing the violin by age five, and by 15, Spalding was the concertmaster for the Chamber Music Society of Oregon.

She furthered her studies of music at Berklee College of Music, and that is where all the pieces began to fall into place. She released her debut album, Esperanza, in 2008. It went on to become the best selling album by a new jazz artist. 

Her latest release Chamber Music Society was inspired by her early classical training. It combines the elements of jazz, folk and world music into the foundations of classical chamber music traditions. In February, Esperanza received the Grammy Award for Best New Artist.

Schedule:

• Thursday, Oct. 6: David Cassidy, 8 p.m.
• Friday, Oct. 7: Jay and Silent Bob Film Festival, all day, beginning at 10:30 a.m. (please check website for exact show times of each movie)
• Saturday, Oct. 8: Jay and Silent Bob Get Old Tour, 8 p.m.
• Monday, Oct. 10: Esperanza Spalding Chamber Music Society, 8 p.m.