MPAC to open 29th season with Hitting New Heights starring Mandy Gonzalez and Javier Munoz

(MORRISTOWN, NJ) -- Mayo Performing Arts Center's 29th season officially begins on Friday, September 29, 2023 at 8:00pm with the Hitting New Heights, a celebration of Broadway, starring Mandy Gonzalez and Javier Muñoz two of Broadway's leading Hispanic performers. Tickets range from $39-$79.

This Week in Theatre: Previews for Plays Taking Place September 5-11, 2023

Here are previews of plays taking place from September 5-11, 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.

CDC Theatre to Open Season with "Head Over Heels"

(CRANFORD, NJ) -- CDC Theatre in Cranford will open their 105th season with Head Over Heels from October 13-28, 2023. This is the bold new musical comedy from the visionaries that rocked Broadway with Avenue Q and Spring Awakening. This laugh-out-loud love story is set to the music of the iconic 1980's all-female rock band The Go-Go's, including the hit songs, "We Got the Beat," "Our Lips Are Sealed," "Vacation," Belinda Carlisle's "Heaven is a Place on Earth" and "Mad About You."

Pulitzer Prize Finalist Play "Bulrusher" Hits the Stage at McCarter Theatre

by Gina Marie Rodriguez & Dave Tavani, JerseyArts.com - published 2023-08-31
Music, humor and clairvoyance are soon to thrill audiences at McCarter Theatre Center in the form of Eisa Davis' Pulitzer Prize finalist play, "Bulrusher." A period piece set in 1950s California, "Bulrusher" is the coming-of-age tale of a multiracial young woman bestowed with the gift of clairvoyance as she navigates life in her mostly white town. More than a fish out of water story, Bulrusher highlights the beauty, complexity and compassion that make life the nuanced ride that it is.

"A Tailor Near Me" at New Jersey Repertory Company

by Mary Ann Bourbeau - published 2023-08-31
(LONG BRANCH, NJ) -- Small regional theaters have always struggled to stay afloat, and that struggle became even greater when the Covid pandemic shuttered them, often for a year or more. Many nonprofit theaters are running at a loss, with audiences dwindling and government aid slashed, forcing some venues to reduce the number of shows produced each season, shorten the length of a show's run or lay off staff members. In the most drastic cases, theaters have shut down completely.

The Strollers to Hold Auditions for "Children of Eden"

(MAPLEWOOD, NJ) -- The Strollers will hold auditions at the Burgdorff Center for the Performing Arts for "Children of Eden" on Sunday, September 10th from 2:00pm-5:00pm and Monday, September 11th from 7:00pm-10:00pm; callbacks will take place Wednesday, September 13th from 7:00pm-10:00pm. This is a musical by Stephen Schwartz that will be directed by Carol Cornicelli with musical direction by Michael Nuzzo.

This Week in Theatre: Previews for Plays Taking Place August 29 to September 4, 2023

Here are previews of plays taking place from August 29 to September 4, 2023 including a look at productions starting this week, those continuing this week, and those closing this week. New Jersey Stage covers Equity, community, college, and high school theatre. Check back every week for the weekly theatre preview. Click on the title to go to the full preview and 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.

"Rock & Roll Man" Final Show is Sept. 1

by Karen Nowosad - published 2023-08-27
If you are looking for a good show to see to finish your summer viewing, consider going to New World Stages for Rock & Roll Man. This musical journey tells the story of the beginnings of rock and roll. It focuses on the legendary DJ Alan Freed. Freed brought the music of black artists to the mainstream at a time when segregation was in full swing in the U.S. He is also credited with popularizing the term Rock and Roll to the emerging genre.

PHOTOS from "Disaster!" at Surflight Theatre

by John Posada - published 2023-08-27
(BEACH HAVEN, NJ) -- Surflight Theatre is currently presenting the hilarious musical comedy, Disaster! from August 22 - September 3, 2023. The play takes place in 1979, and New York's hottest A-listers are lining up for the opening of a floating casino and discotheque. What begins as a night of boogie fever quickly changes to panic as the ship succumbs to multiple disasters, such as earthquakes, tidal waves and infernos. Photographer John Posada was on hand to take photos.