New Jersey Stage logo
New Jersey Stage Menu



MPAC’s 30th Annual Opening Night – Norm Lewis

Friday, September 20, 2024 @ 8:00pm



Mayo Performing Arts Center (MPAC)
100 South Street, Morristown, NJ 07960

THIS EVENT HAS PASSED

Norm Lewis made history as The Phantom of the Opera’s first African-American Phantom on Broadway. Lewis received Tony, Drama Desk, Drama League, and Outer Critics Circle award nominations for his performance as Porgy in the Broadway production of The Gershwins’ Porgy & Bess. Other Broadway credits include Sondheim on Sondheim, The Little Mermaid, Les Misérables and Chicago. Celebrate the opening of MPAC’s 30th anniversary season with this versatile artist who performs standards, Broadway favorites and pop standards.  

Emmy, Grammy, Tony, and SAG Award nominee NORM LEWIS was recently seen onstage starring in the national tour of the Tony Award-winning production of A Soldier’s Play and in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s West End Concert of “Love Never Dies.”  He starred in Spike Lee’s critically acclaimed, “Da 5 Bloods,” and in the groundbreaking FX series, Pose.  Additionally, Mr. Lewis can be seen starring opposite Hilary Swank in the feature “The Good Mother,” Amazon Prime’s newest series, Swarm, and Hulu’s, Up Here.  He was also seen as ‘Caiaphas’ in the award-winning NBC television special, “Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert!,” alongside John Legend, Sara Bareilles, and Alice Cooper.

Mr. Lewis returned to Broadway in the Fall of 2021, starring in Chicken and Biscuits at the Circle In The Square Theatre.  He previously appeared in the Broadway revival of Once on This Island and as Sweeney Todd in the Off-Broadway production of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street at the Barrow Street Theatre, receiving the AUDELCO Award for his performance.  In May of 2014, he made history as The Phantom of the Opera’s first African-American Phantom on Broadway.

He has been seen on PBS in the Live From Lincoln Center productions of Showboat with Vanessa Williams, Norm Lewis: Who Am I?, New Year’s Eve: A Gershwin Celebration with Diane Reeves, as well as American Voices with Renée Fleming and the PBS Specials First You Dream – The Music of Kander & Ebb and Ella Wishes You A Swingin’ Christmas.  He can be seen recurring in the VH1 series, Daytime Divas, also alongside Vanessa Williams.  His additional television credits include Women of The Movement, Law & Order, Dr. Death, Mrs. America, Better ThingsThe Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Bull, Chicago Med, Gotham, The Blacklist, and Blue Bloods, as well as in his recurring role as Senator Edison Davis on the hit drama Scandal.

Mr. Lewis is a proud, founding member of Black Theatre United, an organization which stands together to help protect Black people, Black talent and Black lives of all shapes and orientations in theatre and communities across the country. He received Tony, Drama Desk, Drama League, and Outer Critics Circle award nominations for his performance as Porgy in the Broadway production of The Gershwins’ Porgy & Bess. Other Broadway credits include Sondheim on Sondheim, The Little Mermaid, Les Misérables, Chicago, Amour, The Wild Party, Side Show, Miss Saigon, and The Who’s Tommy. In London’s West End he has appeared as Javert in Les Misérables and Les Misérables: The 25th Anniversary Concert, which aired on PBS.

Off-Broadway Mr. Lewis has performed in Dessa Rose (Drama Desk nomination, AUDELCO Award), Shakespeare in the Park’s The TempestThe Two Gentlemen of Verona (Drama League nomination), Captains Courageous, and A New Brain. His regional credits include Porgy in The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess (A.R.T.), Ragtime, Dreamgirls (with Jennifer Holliday), First You Dream, Sweeney Todd, and The Fantasticks.

His additional film credits include Christmas In Tune (starring opposite Reba McEntire), Magnum Opus, Winter’s Tale, Sex and the City 2, Confidences, and Preaching to the Choir.

Norm’s albums “The Norm Lewis Christmas Album” & “This is The Life” can be found on Amazon.com as well as cdbaby.com.




For information on how your event can be listed, click here



 

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

UPCOMING EVENTS





 

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


 

EVENT PREVIEWS

(PRINCETON, NJ) -- Princeton Summer Theater has unveiled its 2026 subscription season which will run from June 11th to August 1st, featuring an exciting lineup of three mainstage pieces and a family-friendly musical. Productions include Barefoot in the Park, The 39 Steps, True West, and You're a Good Man Charlie Brown.



Crossroads

Crossroads Theatre Company presents "Sizwe Banzi Is Dead"

(NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ) -- Crossroads Theatre Company presents Sizwe Bansi Is Dead from May 19 - June 14, 2026 at the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center. This is a powerful, funny, and deeply moving story about identity, survival, and the extraordinary ingenuity of ordinary people navigating an unjust system.



Zoopraxic

Zoopraxic presents "In the Devil's Hands" by Helen Banner

(LONG ISLAND, NY) -- In the Devil's Hands, Helen Banner's riveting new play will extend its run to 21 performances running between May 20 and June 14, 2026. Set in the Channel Islands in the 1940s, this intimate and immersive production will have its world premiere at the new micro theatre space Zoopraxic in Long Island City (first stop in Queens).



"Slanted

"Slanted Floors" returns to its Greenpoint Apartment

(NEW YORK, NY) -- Following critical acclaim and sold-out performances, Slanted Floors — hailed by the Daily Beast as "one of New York's most unique and exclusive pieces of theatre" — returns for a strictly limited five-week engagement in its original Greenpoint apartment setting. Performances will run May 26 through June 26, 2026, with 150 seats available.



Arden

Arden Theatre Company presents "Dear Evan Hansen"

(PHILADELPHIA, PA) -- Arden Theatre Company brings the Tony Award-winning musical, Dear Evan Hansen, to the F. Otto Haas Stage this spring. Featuring a book by Steven Levenson and music and lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, the production is directed by Terrence J. Nolen and co-conceived by Jorge Cousineau and Nolen. Performances begin May 21, the show opens May 27, and runs through July 5, 2026.












LATEST COLUMNS


Makin Waves Song of the Week: "Under the Carousel" by Josh Herman

The Makin Waves Song of the Week is "Under the Carousel," the latest video from North Jersey singer-songwriter Josh Herman.




Rock On! This Week's Sound Bites... 06/11/2026

Due to a much needed vacation, this week's piece will be short and far more sweet than its creator but that being said, there are a few things of note those of you may wish to check out.




Makin Waves Song of the Week: "Junky Eyes" by Greg Amici

The Makin Waves Song of the Week is "Junky Eyes," the latest video from Central Jersey-based singer-songwriter Greg Amici's 2025 solo debut LP, "Tragicomic."




This Week in Music

Here is a look at shows taking place this week along with our featured listings and a look at some upcoming shows. New Jersey Stage offers previews of concerts throughout the Garden State as well as select shows in New York City and Philadelphia areas