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Theatre Preview: April 2018

Published by New Jersey Stage

originally published: 03/22/2018


Each month, New Jersey Stage provides a special advertising section promoting plays hitting stages around the Garden State. Make sure to add your plays to the event calendar to have them seen by thousands.  Event listings are always free.

Trying at George Street Playhouse, 103 College Farm Road, New Brunswick. Trying tells the story of internationally known Francis Biddle, Chief Judge of the Nuremberg trials, Attorney General under President Franklin D. Roosevelt. At 81 years old, he is sharply cantankerous and trying to put his life in order as he works on his memoir. When Sarah, a young, new secretary is hired, the two come to understand how strangers at very different places in their lives can unexpectedly and forever influence each other. The production stars Philip Goodwin and Carly Zien and runs from March 13 to April 8th at George Street Playhouse. 

The Sting at Paper Mill Playhouse, 22 Brookside Drive, Millburn. Paper Mill Playhouse presents the World Premiere of The Sting, a new musical Based on the Academy Award-Winning Film. Chicago. 1936. Get ready to enter a smoke-filled world of cons and capers, where nothing is what it seems and no one is who they appear to be. The Sting tells the tale of a pair of con men, small-town grifter Johnny Hooker and big-time hustler Henry Gondorff, who plot to bring down the city’s most corrupt racketeer. Starring Harry Connick, Jr., and directed by John Rando, the play runs from March 29 to April 29.

Hitler’s Tasters at Centenary Stage Company, 400 Jefferson Street, Hackettstown. Centenary Stage Company presents the World Premiere of Hitler’s Tasters by Michelle Kholos Brooks. Inspired by the true story.  Three times a day, every day, a group of young women have the opportunity to die for their country.  They are Adolph Hitler’s food tasters.  And what do girls discuss as they wait to see if they will live through another meal?  Like all girls, throughout time, they gossip and dream, they question and dance.  They want to love, laugh, and above all they want to survive. Performances run April 6-22.

A Gentleman’s Guide To Love & Murder at State Theatre NJ, 15 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick. Gentleman’s Guide tells the uproarious story of Monty Navarro, a distant heir to a family fortune who sets out to jump the line of succession by—you guessed it—eliminating the eight pesky relatives (all played by one fearless man) who stand in his way. All the while, Monty has to juggle his mistress (she’s after more than just love), his fiancée (she’s his cousin but who’s keeping track?), and the constant threat of landing behind bars! Of course, it will all be worth it if he can slay his way to his inheritance… and be done in time for tea. Performances on April 6-7.





 

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West Side Story at Algonquin Arts Theatre, 60 Abe Voorhees Drive, Manasquan. Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is transported to modern-day New York City as two young, idealistic lovers find themselves caught between warring street gangs, the “American” Jets and the Puerto Rican Sharks. Their struggle to survive in a world of hate, violence and prejudice is one of the most innovative, heart-wrenching and relevant musical dramas of our time. The score by Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim is one of the best ever written and Arthur Laurents’ book is as powerful, poignant, and timely as ever. Performances run April 7-22.

What A Piece Of Work Is Man at Jay and Linda Grunin Center for the Arts, College Drive, Toms River. The Wit, Wisdom, and Wonder of Will Shakespeare. An entertaining sampling of the Bard’s “Hits and Misses:” the famous to the infamous, the comical to the tragic... Enjoy the wit, wisdom and wonder of the bestselling fiction writer of all time. From the depth of his characters, the beauty of his language, to his plays, sonnets and songs; experience the universal themes of love and loss, politics and power and the nature of man… and a bit of the bawdy as well. OCC Repertory Theatre Company presents this April 19-22 and April 27-29.



 



For

For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/when The Rainbow Is Enuf,

Sunday, November 08, 2026 @ 4:00pm
Middletown Arts Center
36 Church Street, Middletown, NJ

Dunbar Repertory Company presents Ntozake Shange’s FOR COLORED GIRLS Who have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow is Enuf, the groundbreaking “choreopoem” – a spellbinding collection of vivid prose and free verse narratives about and performed by Black women. Directed by Darrell Lawrence Willis, SR.

 
Fellowship

Fellowship For Performing Arts Presents C.s. Lewis' The Screwtape Letters

Sunday, November 08, 2026 @ 3:00pm
New Brunswick Performing Arts Center (NBPAC)
11 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ

A battle is being waged for your soul from an office in hell! Witness a fast-paced, tour-de-force performance in this acclaimed adaptation of C.S. Lewis’ satiric masterpiece. This international hit offers a faithful stage adaptation of Lewis’ The Screwtape Letters, following Screwtape, a senior tempter in Hell, as he schemes to capture the soul of an unsuspecting human on earth and reveals spiritual warfare in vivid, humorous and powerful ways.

 
Lewis

Lewis Center For The Arts Presents "oratorio For Living Things"

Sunday, November 08, 2026 @ 2:00pm
McCarter Theatre Center (Berlind Theatre)
91 University Place, Princeton, NJ

Infusing a classical oratorio with blues, gospel, jazz and soul, this musical and visual journey investigates human experiences of time and memory alongside powerful physical forces that shape the universe. Our exploration emphasizes the significance of the ritual of gathering for live performance in an increasingly screen-focused world.


Featuring the students of the Lewis Center as the cast and crew, this production is the first non-professional performance of this important new work which premiered in 2022 in New York City to great critical acclaim.


Directed by visiting Iranian artist and director Nikoo Mamdoohi, with English to Latin translations by Greg Taubman, Princeton Class of 2006, the professional team includes music direction by Emma Sway, music supervision by Solon Snider Sway, set design by Afsoon Pajoufar, lighting design by Kelley Shih, sound design by Kay Richardson, costume design by Keating Debelak, choreography by Sariel Golomb, and stage management by Milan Eldridge, Princeton Class of 2020. Juniors Lota Alagbe and Peyton McLaughlin serves as dramaturgs.

 
George

George Street Playhouse Presents Vicki Lawrence & Mama: A Two-woman Show

Friday, November 13, 2026 @ 7:30pm
New Brunswick Performing Arts Center (NBPAC)
11 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ

Written by and starring Vicki Lawrence 
Two Performances Only  
 
Vicki Lawrence, the legendary actress, comedian, and singer, brings her signature wit and charm to the stage in Vicki Lawrence and Mama: A Two-Woman Show. Best known for her iconic role as Thelma Harper, or "Mama," from The Carol Burnett Show and Mama’s Family, Lawrence delivers a hilarious and heartfelt performance that takes audiences on a journey through her extraordinary career. From her Emmy-winning years alongside Carol Burnett to her chart-topping hit, “The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia,” she shares behind-the-scenes stories, comedy, and music—all with her trademark humor. Whether reminiscing about her Hollywood adventures or embodying the feisty Mama, Lawrence proves that laughter is timeless. 

 
Kean

Kean Department Of Theatre Presents "the Drowsy Chaperone"

Friday, November 13, 2026 @ 7:30pm
Kean Stage - Bauer Boucher Theatre Center
1000 Morris Avenue, Union, NJ

Music and lyrics by Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison

 


 


EVENT PREVIEWS

(FREEHOLD, NJ) -- Center Players presents It's A Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play with four performances across two Sundays (November 8 and November 15, 2026). Performances are split between the American Hotel and Mattison Crossing.
Hunterdon Hills Playhouse presents Christmas at the Playhouse 2026

Hunterdon Hills Playhouse presents Christmas at the Playhouse 2026

(HAMPTON, NJ) -- Hunterdon Hills Playhouse presents Christmas at the Playhouse 2026 from November 10 to December 20, 2026. Celebrate the season with this spectacular holiday production filled with the music, memories, and traditions audiences have cherished through the years.
Ferrell Studios presents "Carrie, the Musical"

Ferrell Studios presents "Carrie, the Musical"

(PLAINFIELD, NJ) -- Ferrell Studios presents Carrie, the Musical at the Plainfield Performing Arts Center from November 12-15, 2026. Based on the classic novel by Stephen King, the musical poses the question: What happens when someone is pushed too far?
Centenary Stage Company

Centenary Stage Company's Fringe Festival presents "Ghost Dance: Picture of a Madman"

(HACKETTSTOWN, NJ) -- Centenary Stage Company's Fringe Festival continues with Ghost Dance: Picture of a Madman, a captivating one-woman play written and performed by Erica Knight. Running November 12–15, 2026, in the Kutz Theatre at the Lackland Performing Arts Center on the campus of Centenary University. The production explores the turbulent life and legacy of Ralph Albert Blakelock, one of America's most celebrated yet tragically overlooked nineteenth-century painters.
Fool Moon Theatre Company presents "Love, Loss, And What I Wore" at The Eagle Theatre on November 12th

Fool Moon Theatre Company presents "Love, Loss, And What I Wore" at The Eagle Theatre on November 12th

(HAMMONTON, NJ) -- Fool Moon Theatre Company presents a special, one-night-only presentation of the hit play Love, Loss and What I Wore on Thursday, November 12 2026 at Eagle Theatre. This exclusive event is a benefit for the Funny Farm Rescue & Sanctuary in Mays Landing. Showtime is 7:30pm.
Middlesex College presents "She Kills Monsters"

Middlesex College presents "She Kills Monsters"

(EDISON, NJ) -- Middlesex College Visual, Performing and Media Arts presents She Kills Monsters by Qui Nguyen from November 12-18, 2026 at the Performing Arts Center - Studio Theater in Edison. She Kills Monsters tells the story of Agnes Evans as she leaves her childhood home in Ohio following the death of her teenage sister, Tilly.
CherryBlossomPlayers:LLC presents Edgar Allan Poe

CherryBlossomPlayers:LLC presents Edgar Allan Poe's "The Fall of the House of Usher"

(NUTLEY, NJ) -- CherryBlossomPlayers:LLC presents Edgar Allan Poe's The Fall of the House of Usher from November 12-14, 2026 at Philhower Chapel at Vincent United Methodist Church in Nutley. This is an exciting new original adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe's classic tale.
Theater League of Clifton presents "1776" in November

Theater League of Clifton presents "1776" in November

(WAYNE, NJ) -- Two hundred and fifty years ago, a group of opinionated, stubborn and deeply divided delegates gathered in Philadelphia and somehow managed to create a new nation. This November, the Theater League of Clifton brings their story to the stage with 1776, the Tony Award-winning musical about the tumultuous days leading to the Declaration of Independence. Directed by Maren Sugarman, the production will be presented November 13–15, 2026, at the Wayne Community Center.
Lomotion Live presents "Etiquette" by David Lee White

Lomotion Live presents "Etiquette" by David Lee White

(BOONTON, NJ) -- Lomotion Live presents Etiquette, a timely and biting comedy by playwright David Lee White, directed by Lauren Moran. The production will run November 13–15, 2026 at Lomotion Live at Parsippany Arts Center in Boonton.
NJ Rep presents Theatre Brut Short Play Festival 2026: "Through The Window"

NJ Rep presents Theatre Brut Short Play Festival 2026: "Through The Window"

(LONG BRANCH, NJ) -- What happens when we look through a window? Do we see the world as it really is, the world as we wish it could be, or something we never expected? New Jersey Repertory Company (NJ Rep) invites audiences to discover the unexpected with NJ Rep presents Theatre Brut Short Play Festival 2026: "Through The Window" a festival of eight original short plays presented over two weekends, November 13–15 and November 20–22, 2026 at the West End Arts Center in Long Branch.