By Michael T. Mooney
originally published: 04/28/2015
Nine years ago McCarter Theatre and Paper Mill Playhouse celebrated their first ever partnership with a production of “A Midsummer Night's Dream” that featured music by Valerie Vigoda and Brendan Milburn of GrooveLily. Since then, the real-life married couple have been creating and performing such hit shows as “Striking 12” and “Sleeping Beauty Wakes,” seen at McCarter in 2011. They have once again returned to New Jersey, this time at George Street Playhouse, with their newest and most imaginative work yet - ERNEST SHACKLETON LOVES ME.
In the two-hander, Vigoda is center stage as Kat, a new mom who has just been fired from her job writing music for video games. She hasn't slept in 36 hours, her baby has colic, her apartment has no heat, and her unfaithful boyfriend is off touring with a Journey cover band. Wait – don't stop believin' just yet! She suddenly starts receiving romantic phone calls from explorer Ernest Shackleton, whose name she fleetingly invokes in her opening number “Sucks.” (Kat has a bit of a potty mouth.) In short order, the intrepid love-struck Shackleton (Wade McCollum) uses her refrigerator as a time machine and vaults headlong into her life. She grabs her electric violin and impulsively joins him on his historic (though ill-fated) journey through time, space, and the frozen Antarctic.
Despite the above attempt at a basic plot synopsis, the whirlwind theatrical experience that comprises ERNEST SHACKLETON LOVES ME gleefully defies description. Are we in Kat's frigid apartment? Are we aboard Shackleton's ship in the frozen Tundra? Is Kat dreaming or just storytelling? Thankfully, the bare bones book by New Jersey playwright (and George Street favorite) Joe DiPietro doesn't waste much time on such inconsequential trivialities. Truthfully, as economically staged by Lisa Peterson, the briskly paced musical fares better without them. The show often feels like a modern version of the one-reel adventure serials of days gone by - the sort in which an eager young heroine is swept into a breath-taking adventure by a dashing explorer. Luckily, history tells us that Shackleton actually brought his trusty banjo along to entertain his crew, so between adventures there's always time for a hornpipe or a hootenanny. At times the show is sweetly reminiscent of Woody Allen's 1985 film “The Purple Rose of Cairo,” in which a depression-era housewife played by Mia Farrow finds love and adventure with a fictional explorer who comes down off the movie screen to woo her.
Visually, the show's 80 intermission-less minutes are a virtual ice storm of evocative images expertly created by production designer Alex Nichols. These include archival film, projections, green screen imaging, Skype technology, as well as some good old fashioned traditional stage craft. If you aren't already familiar with Vigoda and Milburn's eclectic sound from their music for GrooveLily, it's just as difficult to concisely describe as the fantastic plot. Their songs can range from pointedly theatrical to soaringly rhapsodic. “Burned Again,” Vigoda's show stopping eleven o'clock number (which truthfully occurs around nine fifteen), is the culmination of Kat's emotional coming-to-grips with the men in her life – along with their many flaws. A quick visit from Ponce de Leon (McCollum again) reminds her that even the legendary Shackleton wasn't perfect. But the determination she's learned from his remarkable story just might help her survive the real-life adventures that lie ahead. One thing's for certain, it's always remarkable to have theatrical visionaries like Vigoda and Milburn back in the Garden State.
ERNEST SHACKLETON LOVES ME continues through May 17th at George Street Playhouse, 9 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ. For tickets and information, visit www.gsponline.org or call 732.246.7717.
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, NJWritten 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 Department Of Theatre Presents "the Drowsy Chaperone"
Friday, November 13, 2026 @ 7:30pm
Kean Stage - Bauer Boucher Theatre Center
1000 Morris Avenue, Union, NJMusic and lyrics by
Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison
Princeton’s Famous Triangle Show: Roswell That Ends Well
Friday, November 13, 2026 @ 8:00pm
McCarter Theatre Center (Matthews Theatre)
91 University Place, Princeton, NJIf you’re feeling all alone in the universe – or even if you’re not – Triangle’s newest musical comedy is for you! Join us as Triangle explores what it means to have friends in high – or should we say “sky”? – places. Extraterrestrial visitors, crazy conspiracy theories, and intergalactic shenanigans power this year’s annual laugh-fest of witty jokes, lavish production numbers, and, of course, Triangle’s famous kickline. Can interplanetary goodwill blossom in the dystopian desert of our current times? Get your Triangle tickets now and learn if
Roswell That Ends Well!
George Street Playhouse Presents Vicki Lawrence & Mama: A Two-woman Show
Saturday, November 14, 2026 @ 2:00pm
New Brunswick Performing Arts Center (NBPAC)
11 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick, NJWritten 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 Department Of Theatre Presents "the Drowsy Chaperone"
Saturday, November 14, 2026 @ 2:00pm
Kean Stage - Bauer Boucher Theatre Center
1000 Morris Avenue, Union, NJMusic and lyrics by
Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison
EVENT PREVIEWS
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"
(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'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
(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"
(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'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
(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
(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"
(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.
Bridge Players Theatre Company presents "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever: The Musical"
(BURLINGTON, NJ) -- Bridge Players Theatre Company presents The Best Christmas Pageant Ever: The Musical weekends from November 13-28, 2026. In this musical adaptation of the funny and touching holiday classic, The Herdmans – widely known as the "worst kids in the history of the world" – crash Sunday School lured by the promise of free snacks and end up hijacking the annual church Christmas pageant!
