Here are previews of plays taking place from April 3-9 including a look at productions starting, continuing, and closing this week. Plus a look at plays coming soon. Highlights include: Centenary Stage Company's Women Playwrights Series kicks off on Wednesday; The Shot starring Sharon Lawrence opens at NJ Rep on Thursday; Two River Theater's new modern take on Romeo and Juliet opens on Saturday.
Click on the title to go to the full preview. Be sure to send press releases for your plays to [email protected] to have your play be included. New Jersey Stage covers Equity, community, college, and high school theatre. Check back every Monday for the weekly theatre preview.
Wednesday, April 5, 2023 - Centenary Stage Company's Women Playwrights Series to Kick Off with "Abducted"
(HACKETTSTOWN, NJ) -- Centenary Stage Company's Women Playwrights Series will kick off with a reading of Abducted by Michele Aldin Kushner. The reading will take place on Wednesday, April 5th at 7:30pm in the Sitnik Theatre of the Lackland Performing Arts Center at 715 Grand Avenue, Hackettstown, NJ on the campus of Centenary University. The Women Playwright Series readings are free to attend with donations welcome, advanced reservations have a $5.00 fee. For those who are unable to attend in-person, the Women Playwrights Series readings will also be live streamed, free of charge, through the Centenary Stage Company website.
Thursday, April 6, 2023 - NJ Rep presents "The Shot" starring Sharon Lawrence
(LONG BRANCH, NJ) -- New Jersey Repertory Company will present Robin Gerber’s new play The Shot April 6–23, 2023 in its Studio Theatre. The Shot will star Emmy nominee and Broadway alum Sharon Lawrence (Cabaret, Fiddler on the Roof). Michelle Joyner will direct the production.
Thursday, April 6, 2023 - Neill Hartley to Portray Sherlock Holmes at Ocean County Library Stafford Branch
(STAFFORD TOWNSHIP, NJ) -- Marvel as the greatest detective in fiction outwits a nefarious criminal during Neill Hartley's live solo performance, Sherlock Holmes and the Speckled Band, at the Ocean County Library Stafford Branch on Thursday, April 6. The event begins at 10:00am.
Thursday, April 6, 2023 - Laurin Talese Stars as Billie Holiday in "Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill" at Philadelphia Theatre Company
(PHILADELPHIA, PA) -- Audiences are invited to step back in time to a seedy Philadelphia bar in 1959 for the final performance of jazz icon Billie Holiday. Philadelphia Theatre Company (PTC) is proud to produce Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill, written by Lanie Robertson with musical arrangements by Danny Holgate. This Tony Award-winning Broadway and television play with music will be directed by PTC Resident Artist Jeffrey L. Page, fresh from his triumphant revival of 1776 on Broadway, for which he served as co-director and choreographer.
Friday, April 7, 2023 - Lewis Center for the Arts at Princeton University presents "King of the Yees" by Lauren Yee
(PRINCETON, NJ) -- The Lewis Center for the Arts' Program in Theater will present King of the Yees by Lauren Yee on April 7, 8, 13, 14 and 15 at 8:00pm at the Berlind Theatre at McCarter Theatre Center at 91 University Place on the Princeton campus. The production is directed by guest artist Bi Jean Ngo and features lighting design by Princeton senior Angelica Qin. In Yee's semi-autobiographical play, her father, Larry, has been a driving force for nearly 20 years in the Yee Family Association, a seemingly obsolescent Chinese American men's club formed a hundred fifty years ago in the wake of the Gold Rush and the building of the transcontinental railroad.
Saturday, April 8, 2023 - Two River Theater presents New Modern Take on "Romeo and Juliet"
(RED BANK, NJ) -- A World Premiere modern verse translation of Shakespeare's ode to young love hits the stage at Two River Theater from April 8 – April 30, 2023. Romeo and Juliet, the classic tale of star-crossed love, is infused with contemporary vitality by playwright Hansol Jung (Wolf Play, Wild Goose Dreams, Cardboard Piano). Seen in 2020 as part of Two River Theater's Two River Rising online reading series, this Romeo and Juliet was originally commissioned by the Oregon Shakespeare Festival's Play On! Project and will be presented at Two River in partnership with the National Asian American Theatre Company (NAATCO).
George Street Playhouse presents "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee"
(NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ) -- George Street Playhouse (GSP) announces its spring musical comedy event-- the Broadway/Off-Broadway hit The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Performances of this fresh and newly conceived production begin March 14th and continue through April 9th at the Arthur Laurents Theater at the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center. Tickets are now on sale.
Mile Square Theatre presents the World Premiere of "Yuppies Invade My House At Dinnertime"
(HOBOKEN, NJ) -- Mile Square Theatre, Hudson County's leading professional theatre, presents the world premiere of Yuppies Invade My House At Dinnertime, written by MST's playwright-in-residence Joseph Gallo. Directed by Mile Square Theatre founder Chris O'Connor, performances begin March 31 and run through April 8.
World Premiere of "Darkness of Light: Confessions of a Russian Traveler" to have limited run in NYC
(NEW YORK, NY) -- Dol Productions and Pivot Productions have announced the world premiere production of Alexander Kaletski's Darkness of Light: Confessions of a Russian Traveler, directed by Michael Mailer (The Minute You Wake Up Dead with Morgan Freeman, Heart of Champions with Michael Shannon, Blind with Alec Baldwin and Demi Moore) in his legit debut. Darkness of Light will play a limited engagement at The 36th Street Theatre (312 W 36th St. 4th floor, New York, NY). Performances begin Thursday, March 30, and continue through Sunday, April 16.
Center Players presents "Deathtrap"
(FREEHOLD, NJ) -- Suspense and intrigue are coming to Freehold as Center Players presents Ira Levin's classic thriller, Deathtrap. Directed by Jeff Caplan of Freehold, the production will run from April 14-30, 2023 at Center Playhouse (35 South Street) in Freehold.
South Camden Theatre Company presents "Lettice & Lovage"
(CAMDEN, NJ) -- South Camden Theatre Company continues their 2023 season with Lettice & Lovage by Peter Shaffer from April 14-30, 2023. This is a comical and satirical play centered on a flamboyant tour guide who loves to embellish the history behind an English country house and who butts heads with a fact-conscious official from The Preservation Trust during one of her tours.
"On Your Feet! The Story of Emilio & Gloria Estefan" comes to MPAC
(MORRISTOWN, NJ) -- Mayo Performing Arts Center (MPAC) will present a brand new production of the smash-hit musical On Your Feet! The Story of Emilio & Gloria Estefan. This inspiring true story about heart, heritage and two people who believed in their talent—and each other—has already won the hearts of audiences and critics alike. On Your Feet! will have three performances at MPAC Saturday and Sunday, April 15-16.
The Holmdel Theatre Company presents "The Diary of Anne Frank"
(HOLMDEL, NJ) -- The Holmdel Theatre Company presents The Diary of Anne Frank weekends from April 15-30, 2023. Originally by Frances Goodrich & Albert Hackett, this is newly adapted by Wendy Kesselman. In her gripping new adaptation Anne Frank emerges from history a living, lyrical, intensely gifted young girl who confronts her rapidly changing life and the increasing horror of her time with astonishing honesty, wit and determination.
Crossroads Theatre Company presents Genesis Festival 2023 of New Voices and New Plays
(NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ) -- Crossroads Theatre Company presents Genesis Festival 2023 of New Voices and New Plays from April 19-23, 2023 at the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center. The 2023 Genesis Festival features new works for the stage from some of the world's most exciting writers, young and emerging artists, as well as well-known established writers. This is an interactive experience that invites conversation and audience feedback writers after each reading.
Spring Solos Series at Vivid Stage Continues with "The Absolute Brightness of Leonard Pelkey"
(SUMMIT, NJ) -- Vivid Stage, in residence at Oakes Center at 120 Morris Avenue in Summit, begins with 101 Humiliating Stories by Lisa Kron from April 13-16, kicking off their three-week Spring Solos Series. Second in the series is The Absolute Brightness of Leonard Pelkey by James Lecesne (April 20-23); third is Harry Clarke by David Cale (April 27-30). Each of the three solo shows explores the many dimensions that every person contains, and allows each actor to portray a multitude of characters along the way.
Centenary Stage Company's NEXTStage Repertory to present "The Addams Family"
(HACKETTSTOWN, NJ) -- Centenary Stage Company's NEXTStage Repertory is currently in rehearsals for the spring musical production of The Addams Family. Performances will take place in the Sitnik Theatre on the Centenary University campus at 715 Grand Ave. Hackettstown, NJ. An original story about every father's nightmare: Wednesday Addams has grown up and fallen in love with a young man from a respectable family - a man her parents have never met.
West Hudson Arts & Theater Company presents "You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown"
(WEST HUDSON, NJ -- The West Hudson Arts and Theater Company (WHATCo) has announced the cast for You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown opening April 21st at WHATCo's new venue at 15 Frank E. Rodgers Blvd. South, Harrison, NJ (the former Holy Cross School.) Performances run April 21-30. Charlie Brown and the entire Peanuts gang explore life's great questions as they play baseball, struggle with homework, sing songs, swoon over their crushes, and celebrate the joy of friendship.
Trilogy Repertory To Present "I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change" At Sieminski Theater
(BASKING RIDGE, NJ) -- The Sieminski Theater welcomes Trilogy Repertory to the stage in April for I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change, a musical comedy about everything you have ever secretly thought about dating, romance, marriage, lovers, husbands, wives and in-laws, but were afraid to admit. Performances run April 21-23 and April 28-29.
Park Players Productions, Inc. Presents "Pippin"
(FORT LEE, NJ) -- Park Players Productions, Inc. will present Pippin across two weekends (April 21-23 and April 28-30). Pippin is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and book by Roger O. Hirson. Bob Fosse, who directed the original Broadway production, also contributed to the libretto. The musical uses the premise of a mysterious performance troupe, led by the Leading Player, to tell the story of Pippin, a young prince on his search for meaning and significance.
