New Jersey Stage logo
New Jersey Stage Menu



 

Centenary Stage Company and the NEXTStage Repertory present "The Marvelous Wonderettes"

Published by New Jersey Stage

originally published: 07/21/2022

(HACKETTSTOWN, NJ) -- Centenary Stage Company and the NEXTStage Repertory present The Marvelous Wonderettes July 28 through August 7. This show will run July 28 through August 7 in the Sitnik Theatre of the Lackland Performing Arts Center on the Centenary University campus in Hackettstown. This Off-Broadway hit takes you to the 1958 Springfield High School prom, where we meet Betty Jean, Cindy Lou, Missy, and Suzy: four girls with hopes and dreams as big as their crinoline skirts!

As we learn about their lives and loves, the girls serenade us with classic ‘50s hits including “Lollipop,” “Dream Lover,” “Stupid Cupid,” and “Lipstick on Your Collar.” In Act II, the Wonderettes reunite to take the stage and perform at their ten-year reunion. We learn about the highs and lows the girls have experienced in the past decade and are charmed to find that no matter what life throws their way, they will conquer it together. Featuring over 30 classic ’50s and ’60s hits, The Marvelous Wonderettes will keep you smiling in this must-take musical trip down memory lane! 

The production is directed by Jillian Petrie. Jillian Petrie is an award-winning choreographer/director. With over 100 productions under her belt, and she is just getting started. She is currently company choreographer for The Growing Stage, a professional regional theatre company located in New Jersey. Here she also served as director on the company's first film production and has previously served as director of multiple main-stage productions. As of June 2018, she has been Director of TGS's new Theatre Dance program. Productions are full-length plays that aim to challenge existing boundaries by incorporating movement-based storytelling and exploring audience engagement. In addition, Jillian is a professor of dance and theatre at Centenary University and founder of the media company, Athletes & Artists. Jillian was recently a member of the 2018-2019 Stage Directors Choreographers Foundation's Broadway Observership Class, Directors Lab Class of 2019, Broadway Dance Center's Choreography Program of 2021, and SDCF's Broadway Observership 2013-2014 Class.  

The cast features Centenary University student Amanda Ackerman as Cindy Lou, alumni, Christina Polichetti as Missy and Serena Buchan as Betty Jean, and making her Centenary Stage Company debut, Lauren Fabio as Suzie. 

Performances of The Marvelous Wonderettes will be Thursdays, July 28 and August 4 at 7:30pm; Fridays, July 29 and August 5 at 8:00pm; Saturdays, July 30 and August 6 at 8:00pm; and Sundays, July 31 and August 7 at 2:00pm. Performances will take place in the Sitnik Theatre of the Lackland Performing Arts Center on the Centenary University campus at 715 Grand Avenue, Hackettstown, NJ 07840.




Advertise with NJ Stage for $50-$100 per month, click here for info



For more information, or to purchase tickets, visit centenarystageco.org or call the Centenary Stage Company box office at (908) 979 – 0900.  The Centenary Stage Company box office is open Monday through Friday from 1 – 5 PM and two hours prior to all performances.  The box office is located in the Lackland Performing Arts Center on the campus of Centenary University at 715 Grand Ave. Hackettstown, NJ.  Centenary Stage Company can also be found across social media platforms; Facebook, Tik Tok, Twitter and Instagram.  Like and follow to receive the latest in CSC news and special offers. 

Centenary Stage Company remains committed to the health and safety of our community and adheres to all requirements set forth by the State of New Jersey.  For more information regarding CSC COVID-19 policies and policy updates, visit centenarystageco.org/faq

The 2021-22 season of performing arts events at the Centenary Stage Company is made possible through the generous support of the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, the NJ State Council on the Arts, the Shubert Foundation, the Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation, the Sandra Kupperman Foundation, the John and Margaret Post Foundation, and CSC corporate sponsors, including Platinum Season Sponsor The House of the Good Shepherd, Silver Sponsors Hackettstown Medical Center Atlantic Health System, Home Instead Senior Care (Washington), and Fulton Bank, Visions Federal Credit Union, and Centenary Stage Company members and supporters. 

Photo Courtesy of Centenary Stage Company




Advertise with NJ Stage for $50-$100 per month, click here for info



EVENT PREVIEWS

(BOUND BROOK, NJ) -- The Brook Writers Group, a newly formed theater collective dedicated to developing original theatrical works in Central New Jersey, will present its inaugural Staged Reading Showcase on Sunday, August 2, 2026 at the historic Brook Arts Center (10 Hamilton Street) in Bound Brook. The event begins at 5:00pm.

Gas Lamp Teens present "Fame: The Musical"

(GLEN RIDGE, NJ) -- Gas Lamp Teens present Fame: The Musical on August 7-8, 2026 at the Ridgewood Avenue School. Fame has inspired generations to fight for fame and light up the sky like a flame! 

Two River Theater presents ¡Festejo! Celebrating Latine Stories Onstage

(RED BANK, NJ) -- Two River Theater presents the 15th anniversary of ¡Festejo! Celebrating Latine Stories Onstage, from August 6–9, 2026. Curated by José Zayas, the annual festival, formerly known as Crossing Borders (Cruzando Fronteras), will feature five new play readings by acclaimed and emerging Latine playwrights.
Gateway Playhouse to Hold Open Auditions for "9 to 5: The Musical"

Gateway Playhouse to Hold Open Auditions for "9 to 5: The Musical"

(SOMERS POINT, NJ) -- Gateway Playhouse of Somers Point is holding open auditions for their third MainStage production of the year, the incredibly fun 9 to 5: The Musical. Auditions will take place from 6:00pm-8:00pm Monday and Tuesday, August 10 and 11, 2026. All roles are open and any performance experience is welcomed (must be 16 or older).

Middlesex County Plays-in-the-Park to Host Auditions for "Curious George: The Golden Meatball" on August 12th

(EDISON, NJ) -- Middlesex County's Plays-in-the-Park is holding auditions for its fall 2026 children's production of Curious George: The Golden Meatball on Wednesday, August 12, at 6:00pm at the Stephen J. Capestro Theatre located inside Roosevelt Park in Edison. Everyone's favorite mischievous monkey and his friend in the yellow hat sing and dance up a storm in this adventure-filled musical.
Chimera Productions presents "Job" at Paul Robeson Center for the Arts

Chimera Productions presents "Job" at Paul Robeson Center for the Arts

(PRINCETON, NJ) -- New Jersey-based theater company Chimera Productions will present its 17th production, Job by Max Wolf Friedlich, from August 13-15, 2026 at 8:00pm each night. The play, presented in the intimate 60-seat theater inside Princeton's Paul Robeson Center for the Arts, is a psychological thriller that offers a sharp, darkly funny, and unsettling examination of our addiction to work, the internet, the cost of modern life, and what we're willing to sacrifice to belong.

Villagers Theatre's TeensVill program presents "The Wedding Singer"

(SOMERSET, NJ) -- Villagers Theatre's TeensVill program presents The Wedding Singer across two weekends from August 7-16, 2026. Based on the popular movie, the play takes place in New Jersey in 1985.  A wannabe rock star (aka a professional wedding singer) is left at the altar and finally changes his tune.
The Levoy Theatre presents "Beautiful: The Carole King Musical"

The Levoy Theatre presents "Beautiful: The Carole King Musical"

(MILLVILLE, NJ) -- The Levoy Theatre presents Beautiful: The Carole King Musical across two weekends from August 7-16, 2026. This is the inspiring true story of Carole King's journey from teenage songwriter to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

The Theater Project presents "Alabama Story" by Kenneth Jones

(UNION, NJ) -- The Theater Project will wrap up its 2026 summer season with the first New Jersey production of Kenneth Jones's Alabama Story, about the clash between censorship and civil rights in the Jim Crow South, August 6-16 at the DMK Black Box Theatre. Alabama Story blends fact and fiction.
The Premier Theatre Company presents "Jesus Christ Superstar"

The Premier Theatre Company presents "Jesus Christ Superstar"

(RUMSON, NJ) -- The Premier Theatre Company presents Jesus Christ Superstar in the Rumson School District Auditorium across two weekends from August 7-16, 2026. This is a timeless work set against the backdrop of an extraordinary and universally-known series of events, but seen through the eyes of Judas Iscariot.
 

FEATURED EVENTS


Gilbert and Sullivan’s H.M.S. Pinafore

Sunday, August 02, 2026 @ 3:00pm
Grunin Center - Main Stage
1 College Drive, Toms River, NJ


Mala Aria

Sunday, August 02, 2026 @ 3:00pm
Premiere Stages - Bauer Boucher Theatre Center
1000 Morris Avenue, Union, NJ


Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical

Saturday, August 08, 2026 @ 2:00pm
Algonquin Arts Theatre
60 Abe Voorhees Drive, Manasquan, NJ


A Dance with Death: A 1950's Prom Murder Mystery Dinner Theatre

Saturday, June 27, 2026 @ 6:30pm
Carteret Performing Arts & Events Center
46 Washington Ave, Carteret, NJ


Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical

Sunday, August 09, 2026 @ 3:00pm
Algonquin Arts Theatre
60 Abe Voorhees Drive, Manasquan, NJ



 

Advertise with NJ Stage for $50-$100 per month, click here for info