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!
If your arts organization sends out press releases, make sure you have info@newjerseystage.com on your media list for coverage.
theatre
Surflight Theatre presents "The Great American Trailer Park Musical" 
(BEACH HAVEN, NJ) -- Surflight Theatre presents The Great American Trailer Park Musical from September 18-28, 2024. There's a new tenant at Armadillo Acres—and she's wreaking havoc all over Florida's most exclusive trailer park. The Great American Trailer Park Musical features a Book by Betsy Kelso and Music & Lyrics by David Nehls.
This Week in Theatre: Previews for Plays Taking Place September 17-24, 2024 
Here are previews of plays taking place from September 17-24, 2024 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.
music
The Newton Theatre presents Christmas with The Celts 
(NEWTON, NJ) -- The Newton Theatre presents Christmas with The Celts on Saturday, December 14, 2024 at 8:00pm. The original national PBS show Christmas with The Celts aired on over 200 PBS channels across the U.S., Canada and on the BBC in Ireland for three years. This successful TV show was the initial spark, which created a huge demand for the production bringing them into Performing Arts Centers, Theaters, and large casinos every year.
Lucie Arnaz to Open Kean Stage's 2024-2025 Season on September 29th 
(UNION, NJ) -- Kean Stage is proud to announce that Lucie Arnaz will open Kean Stage's 2024-2025 season on Sunday, September 29, 2024 at Enlow Recital Hall (215 North Avenue) in Hillside with her show I Got The Job! Songs From My Musical Past. Showtime is 7:00pm.
This Week in Music: Previews for Concerts from September 17-24, 2024 
Here is a look at upcoming shows taking place from September 17-24, 2024 along with our featured listings. New Jersey Stage offers previews of concerts throughout the Garden State as well as select shows in New York City and Philadelphia areas.
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band farewell tour Comes to MPAC on October 9th 
(MORRISTOWN, NJ) -- For nearly six decades, the three-time GRAMMY® Award-winning Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (NGDB) has entertained audiences with their top-shelf musicianship and timeless hits. Now the time has come for the band who has carried a torch for American country and roots music to say so long to the highways and byways they've crossed an unimaginable number of times throughout their career. The All the Good Times: The Farewell Tour comes to Mayo Performing Arts Center (MPAC) on Wednesday, October 9, 2024 at 7:30pm.
Concert Review of PJ Harvey Live at Terminal 5 in New York City, September 15, 2024 
The multi-faceted and multi-talented British songwriter, singer, and musician PJ Harvey last toured the USA back in 2017 but I was unable to see her perform live that year due to work obligations. At last, on Sunday, September 15, 2024, I finally had the good fortune to snag tickets to one of her two sold-out shows at Terminal 5, which is located at West 56th Street in Manhattan. The standing-room-only venue was absolutely packed, but I was thrilled to be there. Having arrived a bit early, I was glad to find a spot only a few rows back from the front of the stage: it was great to be able to see Harvey’s facial expressions and pantomime-like moves very clearly. She has an amazingly theatrical presence on stage.
comedy
Sebastian Maniscalco To Perform in NY and NJ in March 
(NEWARK, NJ) -- Renowned comedian, actor, and podcast host Sebastian Maniscalco has officially announced his 2025 "It Ain't Right" tour. Building on the extraordinary success of his 2024 run, which saw multiple sold-out shows and record-breaking performances, Maniscalco continues to make history as one of the most influential figures in comedy. The tour will add 23 new cities in 2025, including a stop at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY on Friday, March 7; Prudential Center in Newark, NJ on Saturday, March 8; and UBS Arena in Belmont Park, NY on Saturday, March 15, 2025.
film
New Release Review - "Subservience" 
The early '70s gave us a wave of dystopian sci-fi thrillers in which Artificial Intelligence turns against its human masters. Movies like Colossus: The Forbin Project, Westworld and Demon Seed saw super-computers, theme park robots and smart homes, all of which were supposed to make our lives better, reveal their dark sides. We now live in a world where the concerns of those '70s thrillers are rapidly becoming a reality, and yet our current wave of AI thrillers feel arguably less realistic than their 50-year-old forebears. Maybe it's because the latest AI thrillers simply graft their sci-fi narratives onto old formats. Most of them (M3GAN, T.I.M., AfrAId) are simply updates of "evil nanny" thrillers, where initially Mary Poppins-like home helpers turn out to be psychos (The Nanny, The Hand That Rocks the Cradle and numerous made for TV thrillers). That's the case once again with Subservience, though this one adds an element of sleaze, making it an erotic robotic thriller if you will.
Important documentary Thank You For Sharing screens at the Fall 2024 New Jersey Film Festival on September 22 
What makes a documentary truly captivating? For a film discussing personal experiences, relationships, traumas, and mental well-being, balancing the nuances of emotions, narrative styles, and approaching perspectives is a delicate craft. The audience craves empathy, not a lecture, and creating an informative and endearing documentary about mental health issues is a significant challenge. It's a delicate balance, and either condescending, distant, overgeneralizing, or too unrelatable messages can quickly bore viewers away. Furthermore, despite the newsreel footage vesting them a coat of “reality,” more insightful viewers can still identify the subjectivity in depicting the topic. Therefore, no exhausting preaching would be easily pardoned. And that is why Thank You for Sharing stands out.
art
Monmouth University's Rotary Ice House Gallery presents Mike Richison's Election Collection: 2004-2024 
(WEST LONG BRANCH, NJ) -- Monmouth University's Rotary Ice House Gallery presents Mike Richison's Election Collection: 2004-2024 from September 13 through December 20, 2024. This exhibit showcases 20 years of design and video art inspired by the presidential election cycle. The exhibit is free and open to the public.
community
Events This Week in New Jersey: September 17-24, 2024 
Here is a look at upcoming events taking place from September 17-24, 2024 along with our featured listings. New Jersey Stage offers previews of events throughout the Garden State as well as select shows in New York City and Philadelphia areas.
books
Michael Frankel to Have Artist Talk and Book Signing Sunday at Lakehouse Recording Studio 
(ASBURY PARK, NJ) -- Michael Frankel, the author of Hurricanes of Color and Monmouth University alumnus will be giving an artist's talk and book-signing at Lakehouse Recording Studio on Sunday, September 22, 2024 at 5:00pm. The event is hosted by Monmouth University professors Ken Womack and Joe Rapolla. Admission is free and open to the public.
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