PODCAST: "The Sting" at Paper Mill Playhouse

The new musical “The Sting,” now entering its last weekend at Paper Mill Playhouse, was pretty much totally sold out before it even opened. A musical adaptation of the classic, Oscar-winning film of the same name starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford, this new version stars Harry Connick, Jr., J. Harrison Ghee and Kate Shindle – to name a few. Theater-goers know Ghee from his inimitable performance as the drag queen hero Lola of the Tony Award-winning “Kinky Boots,” and they know Shindle from Broadway productions of “Jekyll & Hyde,” “Cabaret,” “Wonderland” and the national tour of the Tony Award-winning musical “Fun Home.” We spoke with both of them earlier this week as they were preparing for their final performances of this smash-hit run at Paper Mill.

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About the author: Christopher Benincasa is an award-winning producer of arts and culture programming, and a founding member of PCK Media. He’s won six regional Emmy Awards (Mid-Atlantic and New York) for his work on the series State of the Arts, plus a CINE Golden Eagle Award. Most recently, he produced stories about Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Stephen Dunn, silversmith and MacArthur Genius Award-winner Ubaldo Vitali, and gypsy jazz guitarist Stephane Wremble. A graduate of the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University, Christopher has a BFA in Visual Art and a minor in Religion.

Billy Van Zandt and Jane Milmore's "The ManOPause Boys" To Be Performed In Freehold

(FREEHOLD, NJ) -- Billy Van Zandt and Jane Milmore’s new musical-comedy The ManOPause Boys is coming to the American Hotel in Freehold on Saturday, June 30. Sold-out audiences across the country have been loving this hysterical musical from the play-writing team the NY Times calls “A Riot!” Four guys finally open up and confess the agony and hilarity of going through MANOPAUSE. 

Luna Stage Presents 6th Annual New Moon Short Play Festival

(WEST ORANGE, NJ) -- Luna Stage presents its sixth annual New Moon Short Play Festival from May 21 to May 22.  The Festival provides two evenings of dramatic and comedic excellence via readings of 15 short plays by some of New Jersey's finest writers. These short plays and monologues were selected from over 60 submissions. And, for the first time, they will have a night focusing on plays written by high school students as well.  The high school night takes place on May 23rd.

Eagle Theatre Presents The Last Five Years

(HAMMONTON, NJ) -- Gorgeous melodies and a tender love story take center stage in Eagle Theatre’s upcoming production of Jason Robert Brown’s The Last Five Years, from June 1 through July 1st, 2018. Winner of the 2002 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Music and Lyrics, The Last 5 Years tells the story of two individuals who fall in love-and out of it again-over the course of a five year relationship. The production stars Max Meyers and Jenna Pastuszek.

Fool Moon Theatre Presents "Sylvia"

(SOMERS POINT, NJ) -- Fool Moon Theatre presents Sylvia on selected dates from June 1-10 at the Gateway Playhouse in Somers Point. Written by award-winning playwright A.R. Gurney, the play tells the hilarious and touching story of a love triangle—a man, his wife, and a dog. It was called, “Howlingly Funny,” by the New York Post.