(NETCONG, NJ) -- The Growing Stage, The Children’s Theatre of New Jersey, located in the Historic Palace Theatre in Netcong opens its 38th season with Roald Dahl's Matilda, the Musical.  Running October 4-20 with performances Fridays at 7:30pm, Saturdays and Sundays at 4:00pm, Roald Dahl's Matilda, the Musical features a book by Dennis Kelly, music and lyrics by Tim Minchin with direction by Stephen L. Fredericks, TGS’s Executive Director, choreography by Jillian Petrie and musical direction by Stephen Fox.... READ ON

(HACKETTSTOWN, NJ) -- Centenary Stage Company’s professional theatre series kicks off with Arnold Ridley’s classic thriller The Ghost Train opening Friday, October 4 at 8:00pm and running through October 20 in the Lackland Performing Arts Center. First produced in 1925 and filmed no less than three times, The Ghost Train was a long running success in London and on Broadway. In Maine, near the Canadian border, there’s a legend of a phantom locomotive sweeping through a peaceful village, leaving death in its wake. Despite a psychic station master’s weird stories of a ghost train, the six stranded passengers decide to say the night. They soon regret the decision as ghostly and not so ghostly apparitions materialize and the ghost train comes barreling down the line.... READ ON

(LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ) -- Rider University presents Bright Star in the theater in the Bart Luedeke Center  from October 16 through October 20. For the first major musical of the season, they turn to a play written and composed by Steve Martin and Edie Brickell. Inspired by a real event and featuring a Grammy-nominated score, Bright Star tells a sweeping tale of love and redemption set against the rich backdrop of the American South in the 1920s and ’40s. It was nominated for five Tony Awards including for Best Musical, Best Original Score and Best Book of a Musical.... READ ON

(HACKETTSTOWN, NJ) -- Centenary Stage Company’s production of Arnold Ridley’s The Ghost Train heads into its final weekend of shows at the Lackland Performing Arts Center.  Tickets range from $27.50 to $32.00 for adults with discounts available for students, seniors and children under 12.  First produced in 1925 and filmed no less than three times, The Ghost Train was a long running success in London and on Broadway. In Maine, near the Canadian border, there’s a legend of a phantom locomotive sweeping through a peaceful village, leaving death in its wake. Despite a psychic station master’s weird stories of a ghost train, the six stranded passengers decide to say the night. ... READ ON

(MAPLEWOOD, NJ) -- interACT Theatre Productions presents “The House On Haunted Hill”  a new adaptation by Tommy Jamerson.  The play runs for three weekends at the Burgdorff Center for the Performing Arts in Maplewood, NJ. Opening night is this Friday, October 11 and closing night is Saturday, October 26, making a total of eight weekend performances this month.... READ ON

(MILLBURN, NJ) --  Paper Mill Playhouse presents the New Jersey premiere of Chasing Rainbows: The Road to Oz with a book by Marc Acito, musical adaptation & additional music by David Libby and conceived by and additional lyrics by Tina Marie Casamento. The production begins performances Thursday, September 26 and will continue through Sunday, October 27 at Paper Mill Playhouse.... READ ON

(TRENTON, NJ) -- Passage Theatre Company will open its 2019-20 season with Dauphin Island written by Jeffry Chastang. When Selwyn’s car breaks down in the middle of the Alabama woods, he is relieved to find Kendra’s home tucked away beneath the trees. Thrown together by circumstance and hiding from painful pasts, both Selwyn and Kendra learn what it means to find acceptance in a stranger.  Directed by Amina Robinson, Dauphin Island will run October 10th – 27th. ... READ ON

(PRINCETON, NJ) -- An eerie evening of ghost stories crackles to life as Mary Shelley spins her tale of love, horror, power, and unholy experimentation. This visceral new adaptation from Lookingglass Theatre Company brings together inventive staging, acrobatics, and a unique in-the-round experience to McCarter’s Matthews Stage.... READ ON

(WEEHAWKEN, NJ) -- Hudson Theatre Works presents the New Jersey premiere of The Body of An American by Dan O’Brien from October 18 through November 3. In the play, Canadian photojournalist Paul Watson is haunted by the words he heard a dead soldier say as he took the photo, in 1993, that would win him the Pulitzer Prize and reshape American foreign policy.  ... READ ON

​​​​​​​(WEST ORANGE, NJ) -- Luna Stage kicks off their new American Voices Series (and the 2019-2020 season) with Soo Jin Pretty Nail (and more!), written and performed by South Orange resident Susan Hyon and directed by David Skeist. This darkly comic work is inspired by Hyon’s childhood as the youngest of four unhappy Korean-American children in suburban Pennsylvania. A lively, interactive experience for curious and adventurous theatergoers, Soo Jin… will be the inaugural performance in the newly-renovated Luna2.  Performances run from Saturday, September 21 to Monday, October 7.... READ ON

(NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ) -- Last Days of Summer—a new musical based on the best-selling novel by Steve Kluger—will kick off the landmark 2019/20 season at George Street Playhouse. This highly anticipated production, directed by Tony Award nominee Jeff Calhoun (Newsies on Broadway), will star Teal Wicks, following her performance as Lady Cher in Broadway’s The Cher Show, and Bobby Conte Thornton, known for A Bronx Tale on Broadway. It will also feature music by Grammy Award-winner Jason Howland (Little Women). Performances run from October 15 through November 10. ... READ ON

(WEST ORANGE, NJ) -- Luna Stage has announced the cast for the upcoming world premiere of Jenny Lyn Bader’s Mrs. Stern Wanders the Prussian State Library. The suspenseful drama set in 1933 Berlin will feature Guiliana Carr, Brett Temple, and Karl Kenzler.  The production runs October 17-November 10 and will be directed by Luna’s Artistic Director Ari Laura Kreith.... READ ON

(MADISON, NJ) -- The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey (STNJ) continues its 57th season, entitled Incredible Journeys, with William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Directed by Ian Belknap, Artistic Director of New York’s prestigious The Acting Company, this tragedy of heartbreaking beauty speaks to every person of every era. Performances run from October 16 through November 17.... READ ON

(RED BANK, NJ) -- The Count Basie Center for the Arts presents The Simon & Garfunkel Story on January 23, 2020.�Using huge projection photos and original film footage, featuring a full live band performing all the hits including "Mrs Robinson", "Cecilia", "Bridge Over Troubled Water", "Homeward Bound" and many more.� **NOTE: this show was originally scheduled for January 30, 2019 but had to be postponed due to a winter storm.� Tickets for the original date will be honored on January 23, 2020.� For those unable to make the new date, refunds will be honored at the original point of purchase through August 1, 2019.�... READ ON