Stars of the Stage and Screen Come Together for a Night of Pop & Soul Classics
The performance is Darlene Love’s first appearance at bergenPAC since the grand re-opening in 2022. Love has been an annual trademark of the bergenPAC season for many years. A friend of theater and crowd favorite Darlene Love joined us at the groundbreaking ceremony of bergenPAC’s monumental renovation project.
This date will mark 18 months since bergenPAC re-opened its doors to the public and welcomed back audiences to a newly renovated theater and incredible experiences and productions such as this one.
Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr.
Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr., are the 7-time Grammy Award-winning duo, known as "The First Couple of Pop & Soul". Marilyn began her career singing with Ray Charles, and Billy in churches, choirs and artist management, including Anna Mae Bullock, who became Tina Turner. Marilyn & Billy have been married for 51 years, and they launched the career of the original 5th Dimension as lead singers and co-founders of the legendary group. Their Pop/Soul classics include "You Don't Have To Be A Star (To Be In My Show," "Up, Up And Away," (Grammy Hall of Fame, 2004) "Aquarius / Let The Sunshine In," (Grammy Hall of Fame, 2003) "Worst That Could Happen," "Stoned Soul Picnic," "Sweet Blindness," "Wedding Bell Blues," and "One Less Bell To Answer." While with The 5th Dimension, and after leaving the quintet, Marilyn & Billy paved the way for countless artists, and made history for the African American community, when The Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis Jr. Show on CBS became the first and only, to date, television series to star a Black married couple.
Marilyn & Billy performed at the 1968 Harlem Cultural Festival, shared the stage with Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and other Rock / Soul icons at the Monterey Jazz Festival, are winners of the Tokyo Music Festival, and are recipients of four Playboy Jazz Festival wins. Marilyn & Billy are the only couple to win a Grammy in both, R&B and Pop, and one of only two married couples to win a Grammy together in R&B, the other being Billy's protégé, Tina Turner and her former and late husband Ike Turner. Marilyn & Billy have 15 Gold 3 Platinum records to date. Blackbird: Lennon-McCartney Icons on EE1 BMG is the couple's first album in thirty years, is receiving extraordinary reviews. Music critics call Marilyn & Billy's voices, "bionic". New York Daily News describes blackbird as "passionate." Roger Friedman of Showbiz411 says Marilyn & Billy, "breathe new life into blackbird ... a knockout performance ... a gorgeous cover ..." "Amazing."
Marilyn & Billy are celebrated in Questlove’s directorial feature, "Summer of Soul (...Or, when the Revolution Could Not Be Televised),” which premiered at Sundance Film Festival, winning the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award, breaking festival records, going on to win an Oscar for Best Feature Documentary and a Grammy for Best Music Film. Marilyn & Billy are the only African American married couple to appear in music and television for each of the last six decades, using their platform powerfully for "Civil Rights, which are Human Rights ... Fannie Lou Hammer famously said, 'none of us is free, until all of us are free.'" Marilyn & Billy's activism began in the segregated 1960s, and continues with the release of Blackbird: Lennon-McCartney Icons, "a plea for social justice that everyone deserves."
Marilyn and Billy's Television credits are inclusive of every decade from 1960 when they performed on the Ed Sullivan Show to their recent appearance on the daytime drama, Days of Our Lives. Their Television presence includes Solid Gold, Sonny & Cher, Dionne Warwick, Andy Williams Show, Dolly Parton & Friends, Ed Sullivan, Specials, as well as "Love Boat," "Jamie Foxx Show," "Night Court," "It Takes a Thief," "The Fall Guy," and "Punky Brewster" to name a few.
Darlene Love
Rolling Stone Magazine has proclaimed Darlene Love to be “one of the greatest singers of all time” and that certainly rings true, but perhaps Paul Shaffer says it even more concisely: “Darlene Love is Rock N’ Roll!” - which was made official when she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by Bette Midler, a great fan of her work, in 2011. During the celebration, the two ladies enjoyed performing “He’s A Rebel” together and as part of the festivities, Darlene also sang He’s A Fine, Fine Boy backed by another distinguished fan, Bruce Springsteen.
At the Academy Awards, Darlene sang her powerful acceptance speech on behalf of all of the performers in the winning film “Twenty Feet From Stardom.” As she raised the Oscar, the entire house stood with a cheering ovation, led by the wildly applauding Bill Murray. It was another special moment in a great career. A Grammy award soon followed for the soundtrack of the film.
Her Billboard hits include: He’s A Rebel, The Boy I’m Gonna Marry, Wait ‘Til My Bobby Gets Home, He’s Sure the Boy I Love and the #1 holiday classic Christmas Baby (Please Come Home).
The Concert Band & Soldiers’ Chorus are the oldest and largest of The U.S. Army Field Band’s performing components. Founded in 1946 and 1957 respectively, these two ensembles combine to present joint concerts on their national tours. They have performed in all 50 states and 30 foreign countries for audiences totaling hundreds of millions.
The Jazz Ambassadors is the official touring big band of the United States Army. Formed in 1969, this 19-member ensemble has received great acclaim at home and abroad performing America’s greatest original art form, jazz.
Joe Russo's Almost Dead is Marco Benevento, Dave Dreiwitz, Tom Hamilton, Scott Metzger and Joe Russo. We're a Grateful Dead cover band.
Join us for McCarter at the Museum - renowned performing artists in one-night only events at the Princeton University Art Museum.
Jason Robert Brown is a four-time Tony Award-winning composer and lyricist of The Last Five Years, Parade, Songs for a New World, 13, The Bridges of Madison County, Honeymoon In Vegas and The Connector, has performed as a soloist or with his band in venues around the world, including sold-out shows at the London Palladium and Carnegie Hall. His albums as a singer-songwriter include Wearing Someone Else’s Clothes and How We React and How We Recover on Ghostlight, and Coming From Inside the House and Live In Concert with Stephen Sondheim on Concord.
With Special Guest Tony nominee Betsy Wolfe. Tony Award-nominated actress Betsy Wolfe is currently starring as Audrey in the acclaimed Off-Broadway production of Little Shop of Horrors, following her recent Broadway run as Madeline Ashton in the hit musical Death Becomes Her. She previously originated the title role in Joy, the new musical inspired by inventor Joy Mangano, and earned a 2023 Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her celebrated performance as Anne Hathaway in & Juliet. Other Broadway credits include starring as Jenna in Waitress, Cordelia in the acclaimed revival of Falsettos, Bullets Over Broadway, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Everyday Rapture, and 110 in the Shade, as well as her critically acclaimed performance as Cathy in the Off-Broadway revival of The Last Five Years. Wolfe made her Metropolitan Opera debut in Die Fledermaus and has appeared as a guest artist with more than 65 symphony, pops, and philharmonic orchestras worldwide, including the New York Philharmonic and BBC Symphony Orchestra, with performances at Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center. Her screen credits include First One In, Estella Scrooge, CBS’s Instinct, and the film adaptation of The Last Five Years. Wolfe is also the co-founder of BroadwayEvolved, the acclaimed musical theatre training program she launched in 2018 to train and mentor the next generation of theatre artists.
A limited number of early access tickets for McCarter Director’s Circle members and members of the Museum’s Partner Circle are available, on sale Wednesday, September 16, 2026 at 12:00 PM. General public on sale begins Friday, September 18, 2026 at 12:00 PM.
Please be aware there is no public drop-off or parking at the Museum. For visitors with mobility needs, please contact the Museum at least three business days in advance of your visit to request special access to the Museum via Elm Drive. Call 609-258-3788 and select option 1 to speak to a visitor services staff member, or email Louise Barrett at [email protected].
Celebrate 100 years of Miles Davis! The GRAMMY®-nominated trumpeter and bandleader Jon Faddis carries on the legacy in this anniversary tribute. He’ll spotlight Davis’s game-changing 1957 album Birth of the Cool and his 1959 modal masterpiece Kind of Blue. The all-star ensemble includes both new and familiar faces to NJPAC jazz audiences: Erena Terakubo (alto sax), Gary Smulyan (bari sax), Steve Turre (trombone), John Clark (French horn), Bob Stewart (tuba), Mike LeDonne (keys), Todd Coolman (bass) and John Riley (drums).
The legendary Rhode Island multi-platinum rock’n’roll group JOHN CAFFERTY & THE BEAVER BROWN BAND began their career in 1973 and achieved mainstream success in the 1980s with the “Eddie & The Cruisers – Motion Picture Soundtrack”. The hit single “ON THE DARK SIDE” held the “#1” position on the Billboard Rock charts and the MTV video charts for five consecutive weeks.
Celebrate America’s 250th Anniversary with New Jersey Ballet in a powerful evening of dance that captures the spirit, energy, innovation and resilience of the nation through the language of ballet. Red, White and Blue brings together iconic masterworks and bold contemporary voices in a program that reflects the many dimensions of the American experience while honoring New Jersey’s essential role in the fight for independence and the shaping of the nation.
“If you are looking to be blown away by raw talent, then look no further than Griffin House.” —American Songwriter
Written by and starring Vicki Lawrence
Two Performances Only
Vicki Lawrence, the legendary actress, comedian, and singer, brings her signature wit and charm to the stage in Vicki Lawrence and Mama: A Two-Woman Show. Best known for her iconic role as Thelma Harper, or "Mama," from The Carol Burnett Show and Mama’s Family, Lawrence delivers a hilarious and heartfelt performance that takes audiences on a journey through her extraordinary career. From her Emmy-winning years alongside Carol Burnett to her chart-topping hit, “The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia,” she shares behind-the-scenes stories, comedy, and music—all with her trademark humor. Whether reminiscing about her Hollywood adventures or embodying the feisty Mama, Lawrence proves that laughter is timeless.
Music and lyrics by Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison
(TOMS RIVER, NJ) -- Join journalist Paul Vigna for an eye-opening conversation about his provocative new book, The Almightier: How Money Became God, Greed Became Virtue, and Debt Became Sin, during a virtual discussion on Wednesday, November 11, 2026 presented by the Ocean County Library. The event begins at 2:00pm.
(PLAINFIELD, NJ) -- Ferrell Studios presents Carrie, the Musical at the Plainfield Performing Arts Center from November 12-15, 2026. Based on the classic novel by Stephen King, the musical poses the question: What happens when someone is pushed too far?
(HACKETTSTOWN, NJ) -- Centenary Stage Company's Fringe Festival continues with Ghost Dance: Picture of a Madman, a captivating one-woman play written and performed by Erica Knight. Running November 12–15, 2026, in the Kutz Theatre at the Lackland Performing Arts Center on the campus of Centenary University. The production explores the turbulent life and legacy of Ralph Albert Blakelock, one of America's most celebrated yet tragically overlooked nineteenth-century painters.
(HAMMONTON, NJ) -- Fool Moon Theatre Company presents a special, one-night-only presentation of the hit play Love, Loss and What I Wore on Thursday, November 12 2026 at Eagle Theatre. This exclusive event is a benefit for the Funny Farm Rescue & Sanctuary in Mays Landing. Showtime is 7:30pm.
(TRENTON, NJ) -- The James R. Halsey Foundation of the Arts (JRH), a 501c3 non-profit agency dedicated to providing quality arts education and mentoring to youth in the City of Trenton and greater New Jersey area presents the 2026 Student Film Showcase. Taking place on November 12th at the New Jersey State Museum Auditorium from 5:00pm - 8:00pm, this event features three films, written, directed, and produced by students, as well as a documentary focused on raising awareness on men's mental health, featuring authentic student voices and professional interviews.
