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NBPAC presents The Devil and Daisy Dirt

Saturday, November 08, 2025 @ 7:00pm



New Brunswick Performing Arts Center (NBPAC)
11 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ 08901

Picture this: A bluegrass tall tale about the Jersey Devil with live music and an 8′ wearable puppet. 

On the night of an annual appetite contest called "I 8 the Devil," Daisy Dirt finds something strange - winged and antlered, wounded but alive - in the dumpster behind Lucille's Luncheonette (aka the Devil's Diner). With the help of a Piney palm reader named Effie and a piece of magic muscle meat from the basement game locker, Daisy evades a villainous poacher named Tasty (Murder) and risks everything to save it.

Think Pine Barrens “Our Town” meets E.T., with a shoulder-shot cryptid instead of a stranded extraterrestrial, deer hunters instead of federal agents, and a portal that opens above the Apple Pie Hill fire tower after a midnight lightning strike instead of an alien mothership shaped like a Christmas tree ornament. All backed by a high lonesome sound.

 

What critics are saying:

“Amazing! It will absolutely blow your mind!” (Jersey Is the World), “Very weird and very Jersey! See it to believe it!” (Weird New Jersey)

“Riveting and one-of-a-kind!” (Joyce Carol Oates, The Gravedigger’s Daughter), “Stunning! Jim Henson meets Johnny Cash!” (Lev Grossman, The Magicians, The Bright Sword)

“Brilliant! Half creature feature, half country song!” (Lee Pfeifer, Cinema Retro), “Incredible! Amazing! Chucky would be jealous.” (Tom Holland, Fright Night, Child’s Play), “Gripping. Captivating. Reminiscent of Shel Silverstein’s epic poems.” (Fears Mag)

“The hero we need. Very cool and all kinds of fun!” (Stephen Graham Jones, The Only Good Indians), “A wild ride! Leathery and magical! Dawson is the Chuck Norris of story-telling.” (Clay McLeod Chapman, Ghost Eaters, Wendell & Wild)




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EVENT PREVIEWS

(NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ) -- State Theatre New Jersey proudly presents The Sound Studio Series, an immersive musical experience that places concertgoers at the very heart of the performance. Held in STNJ's intimate Studio space, limited to just 80 attendees, The Sound Studio Series features a dynamic mix of both classical and rock performances. Each concert concludes with an exclusive post-show meet-and-greet with the artists, offering fans a rare opportunity to connect directly with the performers. Tickets for the series are $20-$30.



Arden

Arden Children's Theatre presents "The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales"

(PHILADELPHIA, PA) -- This spring, Arden Children's Theatre invites families into a hilariously twisted world where classic fairy tales don't go quite as expected in its next production of the 2025/26 season, The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales (The Stinky Cheese Man). Based on the beloved book by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith, adapted by John Glore, the production brings the book's fractured fairy tales to life for kids and adults alike. Directed by Steve Pacek, the production runs on the Arden’s Arcadia stage with previews starting April 8, opening night on April 18, with performances running through May 31.



Haddon

Haddon Township to Hold 4th Annual String Band Parade

(HADDON TOWNSHIP, NJ) -- The Camden County Board of Commissioners, along with Haddon Township, invites residents and visitors to the fourth annual String Band Parade down Haddon Ave, featuring the Philadelphia Mummers String Bands on Saturday, May 30, 2026 from 4:00pm to 6:00pm. (note: it was rescheduled from April 25th due to the weather)



Hitchcock

Hitchcock Meets Hilarious: Bergen County Players presents "The 39 Steps"

(ORADELL, NJ) -- Fresh off being named the top live music or theater venue by 201 Magazine's "Best of Bergen" readers, Bergen County Players (BCP) invites audiences to brace themselves for a whirlwind of espionage and outrageous comedy with the Tony Award-winning The 39 Steps, which runs weekends from May 2-31, 2026. Directed by BCP life member Steve Bell, this breakneck adaptation of Alfred Hitchcock's 1935 film classic blends film noir suspense with Monty Python-style absurdity.



Ritz

Ritz Theatre Company presents "Porgy and Bess"

(HADDON TOWNSHIP, NJ) -- The Ritz Theatre Company presents Porgy and Bess from May 1-24, 2026. Set in the 1930s in Catfish Row, a Black community in Charleston, South Carolina,the musical tells the story of Porgy, a kind but disabled beggar, and Bess, a woman trying to escape her violent lover Crown and the seductive pull of drugs offered by Sportin' Life. The production is directed by Darryl Thompson, Jr.












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