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Bulrusher

Friday, September 22, 2023 @ 8:00pm



McCarter Theatre Center (Berlind Theater)
91 University Place, Princeton, NJ 08540

By Eisa Davis

Directed by McCarter's Associate Artistic Director Nicole A. Watson

In 1955, in the redwood country north of San Francisco, a multiracial girl grows up in a predominantly white town whose residents pepper their speech with the historical dialect of Boontling. Found floating in a basket on the river as an infant, Bulrusher is an orphan with a gift for clairvoyance that makes her feel like a stranger even around those who think they know her best: the taciturn schoolteacher who adopted her, the madam who runs her brothel with a fierce discipline, the logger with a zest for horses and women, and the guitar-slinging boy who is after Bulrusher's heart. Just when she thought her world might close in on her, she discovers an entirely new sense of self when a Black girl from Alabama comes to town.

"Davis has powers as a writer to find beauty in almost everything, and her play pulses with compassion and life. Bulrusher has the kind of satisfying, uplifting ending you can only find in live theater — vibrant, poetic, immediate and thrilling." - Bay Area News Group




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

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EVENT PREVIEWS

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PHOTOS from "42nd Street" at Surflight Theatre

(BEACH HAVEN, NJ) -- Surflight Theatre presents 42nd Street from July 8-27, 2025. Surflight's adaptation of the 1980 staged musical 42nd Street, based on the book by Michael Stewart and Mark Bramble, directed and choreographed by Paula Hammons Sloan, takes us on the journey of Peggy Sawyer as she attempts to make her mark in the big apple. Photographer John Posada was on hand to take photos.



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This Weekend – Vanguard Theater & Essex County Launch the First-Ever Montclair Theater Festival: Once Upon a Stage!

(MONTCLAIR, NJ) -- The inaugural Montclair Theater Festival: Once Upon a Stage makes its highly anticipated debut this Saturday, July 12, 2025, at Glenfield Park in the heart of Montclair's historic Fourth Ward. Brought to life by local creative powerhouse Vanguard Theater in partnership with the Essex County Board of Commissioners, this one-day celebration promises an unforgettable blend of live theater, interactive activities, family fun, and local flavor for people of all ages.



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PHOTOS from "Jesus Christ Superstar" at Pleasant Valley Productions

(WEST ORANGE, NJ) -- Pleasant Valley Productions (PVP) is presenting Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's iconic rock opera, Jesus Christ Superstar at the Oscar Schindler Performing Arts Center (OSPAC). The production runs July 11-12 and July 17-19, 2025. This groundbreaking musical, which revolutionized the world of theatre, tells the story of the final week of Jesus' life through the eyes of Judas Iscariot. Photographer John Posada was on hand to take photos.



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bergenPAC presents "Shrek, the Musical"

(ENGLEWOOD, NJ) -- This summer, the swamp hits the stage in the most unforgettable way! Join Bergen Performing Arts Center (bergenPAC) for the smash-hit Broadway musical Shrek, presented July 31, August 2-3, 2025 — a show bursting with heart, humor, and high-energy performances by the rising stars of tomorrow from across New Jersey.



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Aspire PAC presents "Into The Woods, Jr."

(MONTVILLE, NJ) -- This July, Aspire Performing Arts Company will present the musical Into the Woods JR. at The Barn Theatre in Montville from July 25-27, 2025. Stephen Sondheim's and James Lapine's cockeyed fairytale comes to life in this adaptation of their groundbreaking musical. This lyrically rich retelling of classic Brothers Grimm fables features classic characters — Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Jack (and his beanstalk), and the Witch.




 

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