New Jersey Stage logo
New Jersey Stage Menu



 

PHOTOS from "Freaky Friday" at Axelrod Performing Arts Academy


By John Posada

originally published: 10/25/2023

(DEAL PARK, NJ) -- Axelrod Performing Arts Academy is presenting a new musical version of Freaky Friday, the family favorite story based on the celebrated Disney film and the book by Mary Rodgers, at Axelrod Performing Arts Center from October 27-29, 2023. Photographer John Posada was on hand to take photos.

Freaky Friday features a book by Bridget Carpenter, co-executive producer and writer on TV’s Friday Night Lights and Parenthood, with music and lyrics by Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey, the Pulitzer Prize-winning composers of Next to Normal. While that show put the spotlight on mental illness, here they take a lighter approach with the fantastical story of a mother-daughter body swap.

When an overworked mother and her teenage daughter magically swap bodies, they have just one day to put things right again. Freaky Friday is a heartfelt, comedic, and unexpectedly emotional update on an American classic. By spending a day in each other's shoes, Katherine and Ellie come to appreciate one another's struggles, learn self-acceptance, and realize the immeasurable love and mutual respect that bond a mother and daughter.

Freaky Friday is presented by the Axelrod Performing Arts Academy who previously won the Perry Award for outstanding achievement in New Jersey community theater for its 2022 production of The Addams Family.

Leading the new stage production is Jackie Nuzzo (Elf the Musical, National Tour, and Sistas the Musical, Off-Broadway) alongside two recent Basie Award winners, Rebecca Grodek (Les Misérables, The Crucible at Middletown High School North) and Sealth Grover (Camp the Musical, Off-Broadway, and The Bridges of Madison County, Bucks County Playhouse). The production is being directed by Axelrod Performing Arts Academy Director Mary-Kate Schmidt.




Please support the advertisers at New Jersey Stage!
Want info on how to advertise? Click here



Performances are Friday, October 27 at 7:00pm, Saturday, October 28 at 2:00pm & 7:00pm, and Sunday, October 29 at 3:00pm. The Axelrod Performing Arts Center is located at 100 Grant Ave. in Deal Park, just five minutes from downtown Asbury Park, with plenty of free parking. Tickets are $24 to $28 and available for purchase online.

Freaky Friday has had several film iterations, most notably the 1976 version starring Jodie Foster and Barbara Harris and again in 2003 with Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis. The freaky part occurs when a mother and daughter get into an argument and their bodies are magically switched. They must make it through the day with mom at high school and the daughter preparing for a next-day wedding. By spending a day in each other's shoes, they come to appreciate one another's struggles, learn self-acceptance, and realize the immeasurable love and mutual respect that bond a mother and daughter.

Here are more photos from the production.

John Posada is a New Jersey based photographer specializing in photographing live theatre and music performances. For more than 15 years, John has photographed live events where he mastered the techniques of timing and capturing fast moving action under challenging lighting conditions. Currently, John has spent the last 3 years concentrating on photographing almost 200 theatre productions for over 70 different theatres. Click here for John's website.




Please support the advertisers at New Jersey Stage!
Want info on how to advertise? Click here



 

EVENT PREVIEWS

Dragonfly

Dragonfly Multicultural Arts Center presents Thornton Wilder's "Our Town" in Metuchen and Plainfield

(METUCHEN, NJ) -- Not long after a revival of Thornton Wilder's play Our Town closed on Broadway, New Jersey audiences will have the chance to see the classic drama close to home. Dragonfly Multicultural Arts Center will present the classic play in both Metuchen and Plainfield in July. Directed by Dragonfly's Artistic Director Catherine LaMoreaux, Our Town invites audiences into the heart of small-town America through the everyday lives of the residents of Grover's Corners, New Hampshire.



Gateway

Gateway Playhouse to Showcase a Weekend full of One Acts

(SOMERS POINT, NJ) -- Gateway Playhouse will host "Party of One (Acts)" from July 11-13, 2025. The one-act plays are a series of vignettes taken from Tracy Wells' A Trip to the Moon, with each story set during the Summer of '69, specifically around the moon landing.



Light

Light Opera of New Jersey presents "The Pirates of Penzance"

(BASKING RIDGE, NJ) -- Light Opera of New Jersey presents The Pirates of Penzance at the Sieminski Theater July 12-13, 2025. They have assembled a brilliant cast ready to bring you a sensitive-yet-duty-bound pirate apprentice, a gaggle of gloriously melodramatic daughters, a Major-General who can out-patter anyone, and a police force whose bravery is inversely proportional to the size of their mustaches.



A

A New Musical, "Rocky Bumps," to Have Staged Reading in Haddonfield

(HADDONFIELD, NJ) -- An original musical, Rocky Bumps, will hold a staged reading on Sunday, July 13, 2025 at the Haddonfield Theater Arts Center Studio. The musical is a coming-of-age tale steeped in romance, risk, and retro charm. The reading begins at at 2:00pm.



Players

Players Guild of Leonia to Hold Auditions for "Where The Time Goes"

​​​​​​​(LEONIA, NJ) -- The Players Guild of Leonia will hold auditions for Where The Time Goes on Tuesday, July 15 and Wednesday, July 16, 2025 from 6:00pm to 9:00pm each night at their theater. This is a World Premiere musical featuring the iconic songs of The Baby Boomer Generation.



FEATURED EVENTS

ART | COMEDY | DANCE | FILM | MUSIC | THEATRE | COMMUNITY

To narrow results by date range, categories,
or region of New Jersey
click here for our advanced search.


The

The MAC players at the Middletown Arts Center present "Hairspray"

Sunday, July 13, 2025 @ 2:00pm
Middletown Arts Center
36 Church Street, Middletown, NJ 07748
category: theatre


 

The

The Wizard of Oz

Sunday, July 13, 2025 @ 3:00pm
Algonquin Arts Theatre
60 Abe Voorhees, Manasquan, NJ 08736
category: theatre


 

A

A Broadway Tour of America

Sunday, July 13, 2025 @ 2:00pm
Grunin Center - Black Box Theater
1 College Drive, Toms River, NJ 08754
category: theatre


 

Vivid

Vivid Summer Solos: My Name is Lucy Barton

Wednesday, July 16, 2025 @ 6:30pm
Visual Arts Center of New Jersey
68 Elm Street, Summit, NJ 07901
category: theatre


 

The

The Mallard

Thursday, July 17, 2025 @ 7:30pm
Premiere Stages - Bauer Boucher Theatre Center
1000 Morris Avenue, Union, NJ 07083
category: theatre


 



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