Mile Square Theatre presents NJ Premiere of "Show Up, Kids!"

(HOBOKEN, NJ) -- Mile Square Theatre is pleased to announce their Theatre for Family and Young Audiences Production for their 2023-24 season: Show Up, Kids!, directed by Michole Biancosino, which has a four-week limited engagement at Mile Square Theatre from Wednesday, April 24 through Sunday, May 19, 2024. Show Up, Kids! is a semi-improvised comedy where a hapless host uses audience suggestions for the plot, props, characters, and setting of a completely original story.

"The Two Hander" is a Compelling World Premiere at NJ Rep

by Gary Wien - published 2024-04-22
(LONG BRANCH, NJ) — "Do you ever wonder how much of your memories you chose to forget?" That's a question asked by Claire, a 29-year-old writer (currently working for a ticket agency) during her first time at therapy. Diana, her sharp-witted therapist, says, "Memory is an asset. You’ve already lived it, now learn from it."

"Gun & Powder" is an Outstanding Musical

by Karen Nowosad - published 2024-04-19
Gun & Powder recently opened at the Paper Mill Playhouse. Opening Night was a joyous evening where the audience was dazzled by the new musical. Tremendous applause and standing ovations echoed throughout the night. There was a feeling of celebration in the air as Gun & Powder appears right on track to become a theater classic. It defines the struggles, triumphs, and the importance of family to black women. It shows them in humble beginnings as they set forth with strength and strive to make their way in a difficult world and establish a better life for themselves.

State Theatre New Jersey presents "Mean Girls"

(NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ) -- State Theatre New Jersey presents Mean Girls, the record-breaking new musical comedy adapted from the hit Paramount Pictures film with four performances May 11-12, 2024. Direct from Broadway, Mean Girls is the hilarious hit musical from an award-winning creative team, including book writer Tina Fey (30 Rock), composer Jeff Richmond (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt), lyricist Nell Benjamin (Legally Blonde), and director Casey Nicholas (The Book of Mormon).

The Growing Stage presents the 2024 New Play-Reading Festival

(NETCONG, NJ) -- The Growing Stage: The Children's Theatre of New Jersey, located in the Historic Palace Theatre on Route 183 in Netcong, New Jersey is thrilled to present the four finalists for their New Play-Reading Festival (April 26-28). The 2024 finalists include Bug & Junior: An Unfairytale by Ann Eskridge; Her-Cules by Matthew Hanf; Her Beautiful Sound by Cris Eli Blak; and Little Things by Bonnie Gleicher & Brandon Michael Lowden.  The New Play-Reading Festival is curated by Danny Campos, The Growing Stage's veteran actor and teaching artist.

This Week in Theatre: Previews for Plays Taking Place April 16-23, 2024

Here are previews of plays taking place from April 16-23, 2024 including a look at productions currently being presented and those coming soon. Click on the title to go to the full preview. New Jersey Stage covers Equity, community, college, and high school theatre. Check back every week for the weekly theatre preview.

Let the Sunshine In! "Hair" is coming to CDC Theatre in Cranford

(CRANFORD, NJ) -- The American classic rock-musical Hair, the final production of the 105th season at CDC Theatre, celebrates the sixties counterculture in all its barefoot, long-haired, bell-bottomed, beaded and fringed glory. To an infectiously energetic rock beat, the show wows audiences with songs like "Aquarius," "Good Morning, Starshine," "Hair," "I Got Life" and "Let The Sunshine In." Exploring ideas of identity, community, global responsibility and peace, Hair remains as relevant as ever as it examines what it means to be a young person in a changing world.

Jersey Arts Podcast: Jonathan Larson's "Tick Tick... BOOM!" Rocks George Street Playhouse

by Gina Marie Rodriguez, JerseyArts.com - published 2024-04-11
Musical theater nerds can rejoice, George Street Playhouse is bringing back "Tick Tick... BOOM!," the posthumously produced musical by Jonathan Larson, best known for having written the widely known rock opera, "Rent."

PHOTOS from "A New Brain" at Old Library Theatre

by John Posada - published 2024-04-11
(FAIR LAWN, NJ) -- Old Library Theatre (OLT) is presenting the musical, A New Brain, over two weekends from April 12- 21, 2024. Created by Tony Award-winning composer and lyricist William Finn and playwright James Lapine, this is an unexpectedly funny show that gives a glimpse into the inner world of Gordon Michael Schwinn (played by Patrick Dwyer), a frustrated composer for a children's television show. Photographer John Posada was on hand to take photos.