New Jersey Stage logo
New Jersey Stage Menu



 

Monmouth University Center for the Arts Presents "Calling All Divas" On July 11th

originally published: 05/29/2019

(WEST LONG BRANCH, NJ) -- Academy Award-winning songwriter Franke Previte (Dirty Dancing) returns to his Jersey Shore roots this summer to host a “Divas Night Out” and debut his new all-star musical, CALLING ALL DIVAS, a pop, rock, soul, and country hit parade that joyously celebrates music, friendship and the power of sisterhood, with the promise you’ll “Have The Time of Your Life!”  The show comes to Monmouth University Center for the Arts in West Long Branch on Thursday, July 11 at 8:00pm. Tickets range from $38 to $78.

CALLING ALL DIVAS stars four very different and remarkable women, years apart in ages and backgrounds, but whose talents have no division. The “Un4gettable” Divas are led by Broadway performer and Radio City Rockette Lisa Sherman, Philadelphia R&B vocalist Carol Riddick (Jill Scott, Will Downing), Nashville siren Trenna Barnes (Cowboy Crush, Ring of Fire) and introducing from NBC’s The Voice, Alessandra Guercio as the blossoming subway singer.

The show also features Frank Dicopoulos, another Jersey Shore guy best known for his 22 years on the soap opera Guiding Light (Frank Achilles Cooper Jr.), as the club owner.

Together, the four women reveal “there’s a star in all of us,” as they bring audiences to their feet through an inspiring journey of musical empowerment jam-packed with timeless hits of the past five decades, from Etta James to Kelly Clarkson. Proving that everyone is a diva, and every woman is special inside, CALLING ALL DIVAS transports audiences on a magical musical journey as these women compete to become the world’s next female singing superstar in a last-ditch effort devised by a hopeful hit songwriter, desperate to save a legendary nightclub.

The affirmation is delivered through the journey of Frankie, the struggling songwriter, as he scours the city to find that next “Un4gettable” female voice. Along the way, he astonishingly finds far more than he could have ever imagined. True to the show’s musical design, the journey of Frankie is in many ways the journey of its creator – the “real” Franke Previte – from aspiring New Jersey songwriter to Academy Award and Golden Globe winner for “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life,” a song that some 30 years on, remains one of the most frequently played in the world.




Advertise with NJ Stage for $50-$100 per month, click here for info



“I wanted to develop a hybrid ― a concert that morphed into a play with a thread of a storyline that empowers these girls in ways that allow the audience to relate to each of them,” says Previte. “We have a Broadway rocker, a country girl, a gospel singer, and a young subway singer, and it’s just incredible to watch them seamlessly meld together into a group we call The Un4gettables. Each one is at the top of their own game, even this little subway singer. What blows me away, is the combination of their instant sisterhood and individual and collective power.”

“I am so excited about the amazing singers you will all see and hear and the platinum songs they deliver with such passion,” says executive producer Dennis D’Amico, who has produced Sir Paul McCartney as well as a wide variety of concerts, theater, film, and hit recordings throughout the U.S. and the world. “It has been an honor working with Franke Previte, one of the nicest guys in the biz, our director, Michael La Fleur, and my other partners, Frank Dicopoulos and Randy Alexander, not to mention these four incredible women, as they find a wonderful common denominator, that together they are stronger, joyous and unforgettable! Be prepared for an uplifting experience.”

You’ll have “The Time of Your Life!”

CALLING ALL DIVAS is co-created and produced by Franke Previte. Director is Michael La Fleur (Las Vegas, Disney, Universal, Celine Dion, Sarah Brightman). Executive producer is Dennis D’Amico (Sir Paul McCartney). Musical director is Henry Aronson (Rock of Ages, Rocktopia). Assistant Director is Thomas Ryan Ward.

Monmouth University Center for the Arts is located at 400 Cedar Avenue in West Long Branch, New Jersey.




Advertise with NJ Stage for $50-$100 per month, click here for info





FEATURED EVENTS

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

To narrow results by date range, categories,
or region of New Jersey
click here for our advanced search.


The

The Red Hot Chilli Pipers

Friday, March 14, 2025 @ 8:00pm
Union County Performing Arts Center (UCPAC) - Main Stage
1601 Irving Street, Rahway, NJ 07065
category: music

Click here for full event listing

 

Ji

Ji In Yang, Violinist

Friday, March 14, 2025 @ 2:00pm
Ocean County College, Gateway Lecture Hall (Building 101)
1 College Drive, Toms River, NJ 08754
category: music

Click here for full event listing

 

Moondance

Moondance - Van Morrison Tribute

Friday, March 14, 2025 @ 7:30pm
Lizzie Rose Music Room
217 E. Main Street, Tuckerton, NJ 08087
category: music

Click here for full event listing

 

Mandy

Mandy Patinkin: Being Alive with Adam Ben-David on Piano

Friday, March 14, 2025 @ 8:00pm
Mayo Performing Arts Center (MPAC)
100 South Street, Morristown, NJ 07960
category: music

Click here for full event listing

 

Janis

Janis Joplin Experience starring Lisa Polizzi (MATINEE SHOW)

Saturday, March 15, 2025 @ 3:30pm
Lizzie Rose Music Room
217 E. Main Street, Tuckerton, NJ 08087
category: music

Click here for full event listing

 

More events

Event Listings are available for $10 and included with our banner ad packages




 

EVENT PREVIEWS

Jersey

Jersey Arts Podcast: Jonatha Brooke and Joyous Grief

Jonatha Brooke has a voice to soothe your soul, and the lyrics to nurture it. First introduced to audiences as a part of the duo, "The Story," Brooke eventually turned to an illustrious solo career and has been gifting us with her own unique storytelling ever since.



The

The Newton Theatre presents Duane Betts & Palmetto Motel

(NEWTON, NJ) -- Duane Betts & Palmetto Motel will perform at The Newton Theatre on Thursday, August 28, 2025 at 8:00pm. Duane Betts ignites and brings an evolution to the Southern rock tradition.



Gateway

Gateway Playhouse Jazzes Things Up with South Jersey Jazz Society and "Some Enchanted Evening"

(SOMERS POINT, NJ) -- Gateway Playhouse in Somers Point is launching a new partnership with the South Jersey Jazz Society (SJJS). The exciting collaboration will kick off Saturday, April 19, 2025 when Emmy®-nominated trumpeter Benny Benack III and Broadway's Khailah Johnson blend Jazz's biggest hits with Broadway’s hottest tunes in "Some Enchanted Evening.



The

The Ridgewood Symphony Orchestra to Feature Select Students in Campus Performance on March 25th

(WAYNE, NJ) -- The Ridgewood Symphony Orchestra (RSO), ensemble-in-residence at William Paterson University in Wayne, will shine the spotlight on talented William Paterson music students during its spring concert on campus on Tuesday, March 25, 2025 in the Shea Center for the Performing Arts. The concert begins at 7:30pm.



West

West Windsor Arts presents Visions Vol.1 by Sofijazz

(PRINCETON JUNCTION, NJ) -- West Windsor Arts presents Visions Vol.1 by Sofijazz on featuring Sofija Knezevic on Sunday, March 16, 2025 from 7:30pm to 9:00pm. The show is perfect for lovers of jazz and vocal music.