REVIEW: Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp through the Cotton Patch

by Dr. Kenneth Womack - published 2023-09-19
Now showing at the Music Box Theatre in New York City, Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp through the Cotton Patch is poised for a Broadway triumph. A revival of Ossie Davis's 1961 pre-Civil Rights era play, Purlie Victorious is a comedy tour-de-force that packs a punch in our conflicted times.

Pioneer Productions presents "Lost In Yonkers" by Neil Simon

(MORRISTOWN, NJ) -- Pioneer Productions is bringing Neil Simon's Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winning comedy, Lost in Yonkers to the stage at Fellowship Hall in the Morristown Methodist Church in downtown Morristown, NJ. The show will have six performances between October 27 and November 5, 2023. Pioneer co-founder Daniel Peter Vissers of Sparta directs this beautifully crafted coming-of-age story set in 1942 in Yonkers, New York.

Premiere Stages Brings New Relevancy to 'Selling Kabul'

by Karen Nowosad - published 2023-09-18
Premiere Stages at Kean is now running the New Jersey Premiere of Selling Kabul. Written by Sylvia Khoury, the play runs through September 24 at the Bauer Boucher Theatre Center on the campus of Kean University, Union, NJ. With direction by Taylor Reynolds, the show is intense and thought provoking and it is one that will stay with you for a long time. If you are a person who values family, you may feel sadness as you watch what is going on to people and how it is splitting the citizens of Kabul apart. But this is one that should not be missed.

Vivid Stage presents the World Premiere of "Grief at High Tide"

(SUMMIT, NJ) -- Vivid Stage, in residence at Oakes Center at 120 Morris Avenue in Summit, will present the world premiere of Grief at High Tide by Richard Willett from October 5-15, 2023. When struggling New York photographer Jennifer Evers tells her husband Christopher that the photo she took of him by his mother's deathbed — the one he never gave her permission to take and asked her not to show anyone — was secretly entered in a very prestigious competition, it doesn’t go well. To try to investigate the role that art plays in real-life relationships, Jennifer goes out on assignment to California, to create a piece on a Pulitzer Prize−winning photograph, Grief at High Tide, which changed the lives of everyone involved.

PHOTOS from "India Pale Ale" at Dragonfly

by John Posada - published 2023-09-17
(PLAINFIELD, NJ) -- Dragonfly Multicultural Arts Center, a community theater in residence at duCret Center of Art, located at 1030 Central Ave, Plainfield, New Jersey, presented India Pale Ale, a drama about a Punjabi Indian family in Wisconsin. Photographer John Posada was on hand to take photos.

PHOTOS from "Sunset Boulevard" at Music Mountain Theatre

by John Posada - published 2023-09-15
(LAMBERTVILLE, NJ) -- Music Mountain Theatre is currently presenting Sunset Boulevard weekends through October 1st. The musical is based on the film and screenplay by Billy Wilder and features music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and a libretto by Don Black and Christopher Hampton. This is the twelfth mainstage show of MMT's 2023 season. Photographer John Posada was on hand to take photos.

Maplewood Strollers to Present "Children of Eden"

(MAPLEWOOD, NJ) -- The Maplewood Strollers, the resident theater company of The Burgdorff Center for the Performing Arts in Maplewood, present Children Of Eden - a musical of Biblical proportions! Stephen Schwartz's epic tale of the triumphs and trials of family, and the beauty of the human spirit all come to life in across three weekends from November 3-19, 2023.

This Week in Theatre: Previews for Plays Taking Place September 12-18, 2023

Here are previews of plays taking place from September 12-18, 2023 including a look at productions starting this week, those continuing this week, and those closing this week. Click on the title to go to the full preview. New Jersey Stage covers Equity, community, college, and high school theatre. Check back every week for the weekly theatre preview. Be sure to check out our new Advanced Search areas for previews and events that let you search within a period of time, region of the state, and within one genre or multiple genres of your choice.

PHOTOS from "Grumpy Old Men: The Musical" at Surflight Theatre

by John Posada - published 2023-09-08
(BEACH HAVEN, NJ) -- Surflight Theatre is currently presenting the romantic musical comedy, Grumpy Old Men: The Musical, through September 24, 2023. The musical features a book by Dan Remmes, music by Neil Berg, and lyrics by Nick Meglin. Based on the movie of the same name, Grumpy Old Men is the story of two seasoned gentlemen, Max & John, neighbors who've been feuding for most of their lives. Photographer John Posada was on hand to take photos.