By Sunayana Prabhu
RED BANK – Residents and theater buffs at large are in for a treat. The Count Basie Center for the Arts is offering two free tickets to residents for the upcoming grand finale of its centennial celebration Nov. 14. The finale includes an immersive re-creation of the theater’s 1926 opening night, featuring period-inspired entertainment, a restored silent-era film and a separately priced gala honoring state Sen. Vin Gopal (D-11) and Netflix.
The $19.26 ticket price for nonresident visitors is a nod to the year the theater opened. “We wanted to make it a price that wasn’t going to be a barrier to participation,” Adam Philipson, Count Basie Center for the Arts president and CEO, said. “We just want this to be the community celebration of the year.”
The event will bring the 1920s atmosphere to the theater and its surroundings, with “stars” of the era arriving in classic cars, Gatsby-inspired fashion and an authentic speakeasy experience with custom cocktails and mocktails. Greta Garbo and Charlie Chaplin look-alikes will be among the period figures available for photos, Philipson said.
The Basie Center restored the theater’s original opening-night presentation, the Paramount Pictures film “The Quarterback,” to 4K clarity. It will be shown with live musical accompaniment by Ben Model. Model plays organ or piano music alongside silent films, often providing audio cues to highlight shifting tones in the story. Doors open at 5 p.m. with the movie showing at 6 p.m. in the historic Hackensack Meridian Health Theater.
A separate event later in the evening will include a curated dining experience by chef Sean Yan from Metuchen’s Ram & Rooster, and a gala program honoring Gopal and Netflix. The center said Gopal is being recognized for his support of the arts and community programming, while Netflix represents the growth of storytelling and the film industry in the region. The gala tickets are sold separately.
“The support that we have received to be able to do all the additional programming that we’ve been able to offer, many of which have been free to the community, was as a result of the support that we got, not just from Senator Gopal but from our assemblywomen as well,” Philipson said, acknowledging Assembly members Luanne Peterpaul and Margie Donlon (D-11) for championing arts in the community.
Netflix, under construction on the former Fort Monmouth in Eatontown and Oceanport, has added momentum to the area’s socio-economic landscape. “There’s really no better storyteller right now than Netflix in terms of what you’re watching and the stories that are being told; many of them are difficult stories and diverse stories,” Philipson said, recognizing the studio’s impact on communities. “We wanted to also acknowledge Netflix because to us that represents the next 100 years.”
The historic theater opened Nov. 11, 1926, as the Carlton Theatre. Its centennial celebration has included 16 months of programs and community activities, Philipson said, with the finale intended to bring the anniversary year to a close in a way that reflects the original opening.
A community committee and board members researched details of the era, including entertainment, cars, drinks and usher attire, to shape the event.
Philipson said the center spent nearly 16 months planning ways to celebrate this “once-in-a-century experience” across the community. Events held so far have included establishing a Walk of Fame, a Count Basie residency program involving students and working with “100 partners” in the Basie’s Century Club, where members pledge $1,000 a year for 10 years, with recognition during the centennial period.
Although technology has transformed the arts and storytelling platforms have evolved from 100-year-old flickering, black-and-white films on celluloid to reels on a cellphone, the stories themselves will continue to carry the legacy of the Basie as an inclusive gathering place for the next century, Philipson said. “I really feel that this organization is, in some ways, the spiritual center of this town, and I don’t see that that would change.”
The nonprofit has also worked to broaden access through diverse programming and transportation for students. Philipson said the center brings 10,000 students a year by bus to experience world-class talent on its stages.
The theater, now listed on the National Register of Historic Places, has 1,568 seats. The Basie Center’s centennial programming is supported in part by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts.
Red Bank residents only can get free tickets to the finale at the Basie box office Tuesdays through Fridays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays from noon to 5 p.m. The $19.26 tickets are available at the box office, at basie.org and at Ticketmaster. Tickets to the immersive event at The Vogel are available through the Basie Center, its box office and Ticketmaster, with gala tickets available at the center’s website or by calling 732-224-8778, extension 128.
The article originally appeared in the November 5 – 11, 2026 print edition of The Two River Times.
