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This Week in Music: Previews for Concerts from April 28 to May 4, 2026

Here is a look at shows taking place from April 28 to May 4, 2026 along with our featured listings and a look at some upcoming shows. New Jersey Stage offers previews of concerts throughout the Garden State as well as select shows in New York City and Philadelphia areas.



Roxey Ballet Company presents Latin Creations on Friday

(NEW HOPE, PA) -- Roxey Ballet Company presents Latin Creations on Friday, May 1, 2026 at 7:00pm. This is an evening of three new & original works by Mark Roxey and Giovanni Ravelo, celebrating 30 years of Roxey Ballet.



Outpost in the Burbs presents Willie Nile Band on Sunday

(MONTCLAIR, NJ) -- Outpost in the Burbs presents Willie Nile Band on Sunday, May 3, 2026. The New York Times once called Buffalo, NY born Willie Nile "one of the most gifted singer-songwriters to emerge from the New York scene in years." Jersey City based artist Debra Devi will open the night.



This Week in Theatre: Previews for Plays Taking Place April 28 to May 4, 2026

Here are previews of plays taking place from April 28 to May 4, 2026 including a look at productions currently being presented and those coming soon. New Jersey Stage covers Equity, community, college, and high school theatre. Check back every week for the weekly theatre preview.



Seton Hall Theatre presents "Company" by Sondheim and Furth

(SOUTH ORANGE, NJ) -- Sondheim and Furth's beloved dark comedy Company takes the stage at South Orange Performing Arts Center (SOPAC) in a vibrant new student production from Seton Hall Theatre. Performances run from April 30 to May 3, 2026.



Classic American Tales celebrates Louisa May Alcott, Mark Twain, Paul Robeson, and the American Revolution in May

(CAPE MAY, NJ) -- In May alone, Classic American Tales performs on a farm, in two different libraries, and at historic Peachfield.



Asbury Park Theater Company presents Thornton Wilder's "Our Town"

(OCEAN GROVE, NJ) -- The Asbury Park Theater Company presents Thornton Wilder's Our Town across two weekends from May 21-31, 2026 at the Jersey Shore Arts Center. Described by Edward Albee as "the greatest American play ever written"- it is one of the defining plays of American theater. The production is directed by Bailey Dumlao.



This Week in Comedy: April 28 to May 4, 2026

Here's a look at comedy shows taking place across the state from April 28 to May 4, 2026. New Jersey Stage compiles this list from comedy clubs, casinos, and performing arts centers.



Daily Edition 04-28-26

Here is the morning update from New Jersey's arts newswire. We regularly publish between 8-15 new articles and news reports each day. Nobody covers the Arts throughout the Garden State like New Jersey Stage!










EVENT PREVIEWS

ART | COMEDY | DANCE | FILM | MUSIC | THEATRE | COMMUNITY | KIDS

To narrow results by date, categories,
or region of New Jersey click here.
(WASHINGTON, DC) -- After months of competitions in classrooms and communities nationwide, the 2026 Poetry Out Loud National Finals will take place April 28–29 in Washington, DC. Reciting poetry from an anthology that celebrates historic American voices in recognition of America's 250th anniversary, state and jurisdictional champions will compete for the national champion title and a $20,000 cash prize. Joy Ogunsakin, a senior from Trinity Hall in Tinton Falls, will be representing New Jersey.

New Jersey Play Lab is hosting two Virtual Open House sessions for prospective 2026-2027 Storyteller Studio Cohort participants! If you are an aspiring playwright or dramaturg, this is for you.

(NEWARK, NJ) -- New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) presents a Spring Season of Jazz with free monthly jazz jams at Clement's Place and two special concert events inside the Victoria Theater. This series, running from September through June, is co-presented by NJPAC's Jazz Advisory Committee and Rutgers University–Newark's Institute of Jazz Studies (IJS). Immerse yourself in the relaxing sounds of jazz music that stimulate the players’ and listeners' minds.

(NEW YORK, NY) -- Producers of the Tony Award®-winning, record-breaking Broadway hit Moulin Rouge! The Musical have announced that three-time Grammy Award-winning superstar and actress Megan Thee Stallion will make her Broadway debut in the production as "Zidler", impresario of the titular nightclub. Taking the stage for a strictly limited 8-week engagement, Megan will light up the Al Hirshfeld Theatre from Tuesday, March 24th to Sunday, May 17, 2026, promising an unmissable, moment in the show's legendary run.

(MILLBURN, NJ) -- Paper Mill Playhouse presents 1776, the Tony Award-winning musical, from April 1 through May 2, 2026. It brings the story behind the creation of the Declaration of Independence to the stage with witty satire, compelling drama, and a thrilling score. With music and lyrics by Sherman Edwards and book by Peter Stone, 1776 follows John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and their fellow delegates as they navigate fiery debates, political tensions, and personal conflicts in their struggle to unite thirteen colonies.

(HAMPTON, NJ) -- Hunterdon Hills Playhouse presents Some Enchanted Evening from April 7 through May 16, 2026. This is a celebration of songs that have become a part of our lives. We sing them in the shower and we sing them to entertain and amuse.

(PHILADELPHIA, PA) -- This spring, Arden Children's Theatre invites families into a hilariously twisted world where classic fairy tales don't go quite as expected in its next production of the 2025/26 season, The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales (The Stinky Cheese Man). Based on the beloved book by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith, adapted by John Glore, the production brings the book's fractured fairy tales to life for kids and adults alike. Directed by Steve Pacek, the production runs on the Arden’s Arcadia stage with previews starting April 8, opening night on April 18, with performances running through May 31.







LATEST FEATURES

ART | COMEDY | DANCE | FILM | MUSIC | THEATRE | COMMUNITY | KIDS

The Stress Factory Comedy Club presents Kevin Nealon




The Growing Stage presents "Nate The Great"

(NETCONG, NJ) -- The Growing Stage: The Children's Theatre of New Jersey is thrilled to present Nate The Great. Based on the book by Marjorie Sharmat with book & lyrics by John Maclay and music & lyrics by Brett Ryback, this vibrant production runs weekends from May 1-17, 2026. In this musical, the world's greatest boy detective awakes, hoping that this day will bring a new case. He gets a call from his good friend Annie alerting him that her new painting of her dog Fang is missing!




Lizzie Rose Music Room presents Cold Shot on Saturday

(TUCKERTON, NJ) -- The Lizzie Rose Music Room presents Cold Shot on Saturday, May 2, 2026 at 7:30pm. The band is dedicated to capturing the electrifying energy and soulful sound of legendary Texas blues guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan.




Grunin Center presents Taylor Simon King on May 9th

(TOMS RIVER, NJ) -- Grunin Center for the Arts presents Taylor Simon King - Celebrating Three American Troubadours on Saturday, May 9, 2026 at 7:30pm. The show features James Gedeon, Lisa Sherman, and Alice Leon paying tribute to James Taylor, Carly Simon, and Carole King. Limited tickets remain.




CarteretPAC presents John Cafferty & The Beaver Brown Band

(CARTERET, NJ) -- The Carteret Performing Arts & Events Center presents John Cafferty & The Beaver Brown Band on Friday, November 13, 2026 at 8:00pm. The legendary Rhode Island multi-platinum rock band began their career in 1973 and achieved mainstream success in the 1980s with the "Eddie & The Cruisers – Motion Picture Soundtrack".




Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater returns to NJPAC for Mother's Day Weekend

(NEWARK, NJ) -- Beloved as one of the world's most popular dance companies, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater completes its 20-city coast-to-coast United States tour at Newark's New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) from Friday-Sunday, May 8-10, 2026. In what has become a Mother's Day weekend tradition for tri-state residents, the AILEY Company returns for the 27th time as NJPAC's Principal Resident Affiliate, performing annually at Prudential Hall since 1997 (except for 2020-21 pandemic shutdown).




Patti LaBelle LIVE! at MPAC

Spotlight Central and Love Imagery have photos and a recap of Patti LaBelle at Mayo Performing Arts Center (MPAC) on April 17, 2026.




New to VOD - "The Bride"

Following Hamnet and "Wuthering Heights", Maggie Gyllenhaal's The Bride! is the latest in a line of awful movies inspired by the work of great English writers. It's Mary Shelley here of course, but Gyllenhaal also plucks from James Whale's Bride of Frankenstein. Whale cast Elsa Lanchester in the dual roles of Shelley and the titular monster, and Gyllenhaal pulls the same trick here with Jessie Buckley. That's where the similarities end however, as The Bride! has more in common with '70s exploitation flicks and '90s horror comedies than either Shelley's novel or the Universal monster movies it inspired.










UPCOMING EVENTS


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 




LATEST COLUMNS

Here's a look at comedy shows taking place across the state from April 28 to May 4, 2026. New Jersey Stage compiles this list from comedy clubs, casinos, and performing arts centers.



Makin Waves Song of the Week: "Dance of the Waxwing" by Pyrenesia

The Makin Waves Song of the Week is "Dance of the Waxwing" by the Lambertville-based gypsy jazz quartet Pyrenesia.



Rock On! This Week's Sound Bites... 04/23/2026

April 26, 2009; 17 years to the day this Sunday that "Danny Coleman's Rock On Radio" took to the airwaves on WIFI 1460 AM radio. Can it be that long? The answer is yes it can be and yes it has. 



* Events This Week in New Jersey

* This Week in Music

* This Week in Theatre

* Top 15 Most Read Stories
from the Past Week




DAILY EDITION

Here is a look at the articles published yesterday. The Daily Edition comes out Monday through Friday with a recap of articles published Friday through Sunday on Mondays.