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NJ Stage Features Published During The Week Of 12-20-20

originally published: 12/20/2020



In addition to running about 60 news stories and event previews each week, New Jersey Stage runs several original features and interviews as well. Here's a look at the features run for the past two weeks.
 
theatre

Experience "A Christmas Carol" the Way Dickens Presented It
 
By Gary Wien,
JerseyArts.com
 
Few stories connect us to the past the way “A Christmas Carol” does.  For more than 175 years, people have enjoyed watching one of the most miserable characters in the history of literature (Ebenezer Scrooge) go through a complete transformation, thanks to the miracle of Christmas.  For two weekends in December, Algonquin Arts in Manasquan presents a special one-man version of the classic tale - exactly the way Charles Dickens himself performed it for years.



music

Brett Altman Releases "Holding on to Now"
 
By Gary Wien
 
Hoboken based singer-songwriter Brett Altman released "Holding on to Now" on Friday, December 18th. The song features music & lyrics by Brett Altman and Max Feinstein. The song is about living in the moment, a task which Brett admits has always challenged him. 



Makin Waves Song of the Week: "Not for Sale" by Blaise
 
By Bob Makin
 
“Not for Sale” is a new single by Blaise co-written with and produced by former Deal Casino frontman Joe Parella and video directed by sought-after videographer Kris Khunachak. Makin Waves premieres the clip at New Jersey Stage having done the same with the single earlier in the week on “Radio Jersey” at The Penguin Rocks.



Makin Waves Record of the Week: "Simple Times" by MattyPasq
 
By Bob Makin
 
Since 2014, Jersey Shore rapper MattyPasq has kept busy releasing dozens of singles, EPs, and LPs as a solo artist and a member of the trio TrapBang. This summer, he released his latest solo EP, “Simple Times,” and I’m glad I finally got to catch up with it. Fans of the great Jersey City trip-hop duo P.M. Dawn will dig the four-song rap-adelic collection, which was expertly produced by Fresno beat master Kasino Kam.



Rock On! This Week's Sound Bites...12/17/20
 
By Danny Coleman
 
What do you do when the new album you are set to release gets pushed back by a pandemic? Well, if you're Candice Night you create an EP of timeless Christmas classics designed to enlighten and revive the holiday spirit in all. 



An Interview With Tommy Strazza About His Best Of Album
 
By Gary Wien
 
Tommy Strazza has been a big part of the New Jersey music scene for over 20 years as a singer-songwriter putting out great records and as a lead guitar for several bands (The Strazzacasters, Hey Bulldog, Misguided Muse, The DeLoreons) and solo artists (Anthony Walker, Anjelia, Emily Grove, and Michael Askin).  His guitar work earned him the Top Guitarist Award at the 2011 Asbury Music Awards and he's earned nominations with the records.  New Jersey Stage featured him in a 2014 magazine article.



Classic Jersey Releases Xmas 2020 Radio Mix With 85 Tracks By Jersey Artists
 
By Gary Wien
 
(BELMAR, NJ)  — If you’re in the mood for some Christmas music, New Jersey Stage has 85 tracks by artists connected to New Jersey for you to listen to.  Recorded as a mixtape, the show is available in one standalone form (with nearly 5 hours of music) or as individual hour broadcasts.  Either way you’ll get some of your favorite holiday tunes and originals from indie artists to the biggest names in New Jersey musical history.



Makin Waves Song of the Week: “Invisible” by Ian Bamberger
 
By Bob Makin
 
Brooklyn-based, Jersey-raised singer-songwriter-guitarist Ian Bamberger has released a new single, “Invisible,” which was written during and inspired by the pandemic.



Makin Waves Record of the Week: "In Kayfabe” by Tony Appleseed
 
By Bob Makin
 
Jersey Shore studio wizard Tony Appleseed’s latest LP, “In Kayfabe” is a dancedelic dream.



An Art School Quaranteam Keeps the Caroling Going at Kirkpatrick Chapel
 
By Christopher Benincasa,
JerseyArts.com
 
Since 1958, Christmas in Carol and Song has been an annual tradition at Rutgers University’s historic Kirkpatrick Chapel in New Brunswick. Patrick Gardner, distinguished professor of music and director of choral activities at the Mason Gross School of the Arts, has led the Rutgers Kirkpatrick Choir and the Rutgers University Glee Club for more than 25 years.



Rock On! This Week's Sound Bites...12/10/20
 
By Danny Coleman
 
WARNING: The following article contains strong language.



"It Goes Like This, The Peppermint Twist!" Spotlight on The Starliters' Joey Dee
 
By Spotlight Central
 
Spotlight Central recently caught up with Joey Dee, who shared insight into his childhood as a budding musician, recounted his rise to fame with Joey Dee and the Starliters, and filled us in on highlights of his six-decade-long career in the music business.



Celebrating Hope, Joy, and Resilience with Princeton Symphony Orchestra’s Holiday POPS! Concert
 
By Christopher Benincasa,
JerseyArts.com
 
Princeton Symphony Orchestra’s Holiday POPS! concert series is one annual tradition that will not be cancelled because of COVID-19. This year, the concert will be available virtually, free of charge, every weekend before Christmas.



art

Border Photographer Ada Trillo in Noyes Museum Exhibition
 
By Susan Wallner,
JerseyArts.com
 
Ada Trillo is a bilingual documentary photographer who grew up–literally–crossing the border. Born in El Paso, her family moved to Juárez when she was young, but she attended school in Texas. It meant an hours-long commute over the border every day. Trillo went on to become a painter, but Donald Trump’s hateful comments about Mexicans when he was first running for president caused her to make a radical shift. She had to show the people she knew.






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Vivid

Vivid Summer Solos: Where is Everybody?

Wednesday, July 09, 2025 @ 6:30pm
Visual Arts Center of New Jersey
68 Elm Street, Summit, NJ 07901
category: theatre

Click here for full event listing

 

Free

Free Summer Event: Country Line Dancing with Paul Stoddard

Wednesday, July 09, 2025 @ 6:00pm
Mayo Performing Arts Center (MPAC) - Pioneer Park at Headquarter's Plaza
3 Speedwell Ave, Morristown, NJ 07960
category: dance

Click here for full event listing

 

Frisson

Frisson Winds

Thursday, July 10, 2025 @ 7:30pm
The Morris Museum Back Deck
6 Normandy Heights Road, Morristown, NJ 07960
category: music

Click here for full event listing

 

Terry

Terry Fator: On The Road Again

Thursday, July 10, 2025 @ 8:00pm
Carteret Performing Arts Center
46 Washington Ave, Carteret, NJ 07008
category: comedy

Click here for full event listing

 

A

A Broadway Tour of America

Thursday, July 10, 2025 @ 7:30pm
Grunin Center - Black Box Theater
1 College Drive, Toms River, NJ 08754
category: theatre

Click here for full event listing

 

More events

Event Listings are available for $10 and included with our banner ad packages




 

EVENT PREVIEWS

Asbury

Asbury Park to Host 1st Annual ACT OUT, DIVA! New Play Festival

(ASBURY PARK, NJ) -- Bailey Dumlao and Matthew Yee have announced the first annual ACT OUT, DIVA! New Play Festival featuring five new plays presented as readings from July 17-20, 2025. Matthew Yee is one of the featured playwrights and Bailey Dumlao directs all five pieces.



Cape

Cape May Stage presents "Sexy Laundry"

(CAPE MAY, NJ) -- Cape May Stage presents Sexy Laundry by Michele Riml from July 16 through August 24, 2025. The relatable storyline follows Alice and Henry, a long-married couple, attempting to reignite the spark in their relationship by escaping to a trendy hotel with a copy of the book Sex for Dummies in hand.



The

The Ritz Theatre Company presents "The Wizard of Oz"

(HADDON TOWNSHIP, NJ) -- The Ritz Theatre Company presents The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum weekends from July 11-27, 2025. Based upon the Classic Motion Picture, it was adapted by John Kane for the Royal Shakespeare Company and features Music & Lyrics by Harold Arlen & E.Y. Harburg.



Gallery

Gallery at HACPAC presents Colorblind, a solo exhibition of paintings by Val DeAppolonio

(HACKENSACK, NJ) -- The Ruth Bauer Neustadter Gallery at Hackensack Performing Arts Center (HACPAC) presents Colorblind, a solo exhibition of paintings by Val DeAppolonio from July 7 through August 29, 2025. Val is a self-taught, colorblind artist from Northern NJ whose bold abstracts pulse with energy and motion.



Borgata

Borgata Event Center presents KEM

(ATLANTIC CITY, NJ) -- Borgata Event Center presents KEM, known as Soul's Greatness, on Saturday, July 19, 2025 at 8:00pm. KEM's passion for music and the emotions he brings to life on stages worldwide have been a part of him since childhood, when he played the old piano at his grandfather's church.