PHOTOS from "Raisin" at Axelrod PAC

by John Posada - published 2023-02-27
(DEAL PARK, NJ) -- To mark the 50th anniversary of its 1973 premiere on Broadway, the Axelrod Performing Arts Center is presenting the musical Raisin now through March 12. The musical is based on Lorraine Hansberry’s classic A Raisin in the Sun, which explores a Black family's journey to a better life as they aspire to move out of the projects in the Southside of Chicago in the 1950s. Raisin is a poignant reflection on the American Dream. Photographer John Posada was there to take photos.

PHOTOS from "Drop Dead!" at WHATCo

by John Posada - published 2023-02-27
(WEST HUDSON, NJ) -- The West Hudson Arts & Theater Company (WHATCo) is celebrating their Main Stage 2023 season with the debut of the comedy farse Drop Dead! by Billy Van Zandt and Jane Milmore, and with a much-anticipated move to a new performance space in Harrison, NJ. Productions of this potboiler murder mystery continue Friday and Saturday, March 3rd and 4th at 7:00pm. Photographer John Posada was on hand to take photos.

State Theatre New Jersey Presents "R.E.S.P.E.C.T."

(NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ) -- The fully renovated State Theatre New Jersey presents R.E.S.P.E.C.T., an electrifying tribute celebrating the legendary Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin on Saturday, March 11 at 8:00pm and Sunday, March 12 at 2:00pm. Tickets range from $40-$98.

Axelrod Celebrates the 50th Anniversary of the Tony Award-winning Musical "Raisin"

by Gina Marie Rodriguez & Dave Tavani, JerseyArts.com - published 2023-02-25
What happens to a dream deferred?

Inside Algonquin Arts Theatre's 2023-2024 Season

(MANASQUAN, NJ) -- Algonquin Arts Theatre has announced their 2023-2024 Broadway Series featuring six musicals and two plays. Algonquin begins the summer with one of the world's most beloved musicals, The Sound of Music followed by the Tony Award-winning Avenue Q, an adults-only musical featuring puppets and actors. In October, Algonquin Arts Theatre presents their premiere of The Hunchback of Notre Dame based on the Victor Hugo novel with the beloved Disney music. Just in time for the holidays and back by popular demand is ELF: The Musical based on the 2003 film. In the winter, the theatre will present two thrilling plays, Ira Levin's murder mystery/comedy Deathtrap and Stephen King's Misery (adapted by William Goldman). The 2023-2024 season will close with two of the most popular musicals of all time, Fiddler on the Roof and Grease!

Premiere Stages and Kean Stage present "SMALL" by Robert Montano

(UNION, NJ) -- Premiere Stages and Kean Stage co-present SMALL written and performed by actor and dancer Robert Montano and directed by Jessi D. Hill on Saturday, March 18 at Kean University's Enlow Recital Hall (215 North Avenue, Hillside, NJ 07205).Hill on Saturday, March 18 at Kean University’s Enlow Recital Hall (215 North Avenue, Hillside, NJ 07205).    

Ray Charles On Everybody's Mind

by Bruce Chadwick - published 2023-02-15
My son recently moved to Savannah, Georgia. Right after he told me he was going there he started to hum the Ray Charles hit song, "Georgia on My Mind." Perfect.

George Street Playhouse presents "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee"

(NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ) -- George Street Playhouse (GSP) announces its spring musical comedy event-- the Broadway/Off-Broadway hit The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Performances of this fresh and newly conceived production begin March 14th and continue through April 9th at the Arthur Laurents Theater at the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center. Tickets are now on sale.

McCarter Theatre Center Partners with Princeton University to Showcase Performance Pieces Inspired by the Toni Morrison Papers

(PRINCETON, NJ) -- The McCarter Theatre, the Tony Award-winning performing arts center on the campus of Princeton University, will premiere a set of commissioned performances on March 24 and 25, 2023 as part of a robust calendar of campus-wide programming celebrating the acclaimed author Toni Morrison’s (1931–2019) life and legacy. The performances are the result of collaborations with McCarter’s Associate Artistic Director Nicole A. Watson and Autumn Womack, curator of Princeton University Library’s exhibition Toni Morrison: Sites of Memory and assistant professor of English and African American Studies. Multidisciplinary artists Daniel Alexander Jones and Mame Diarra Samantha Speis visited the University Library’s Toni Morrison Papers archive, a large trove of personal papers, letters, manuscripts and objects that were acquired by the University in 2014 to inspire original creations.