Here's a look at the top 10 most read articles published at New Jersey Stage during the week of February 27 to March 5, 2022.  Each week, we publish about 70 articles, including several original columns and features, along with news releases for events happening throughout the state and nearby areas like Philadelphia and New York City. This week Top Ten includes articles covering five counties in New Jersey (Essex, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, and Morris). This week's list includes a few older stories that search engines must have featured.

1) Steven Spielberg's "West Side Story" Uses New Jersey As Its Backdrop - (NEWARK, NJ) -- Steven Spielberg's reimagining of the legendary "West Side Story" was filmed on location on the streets of Paterson and Newark. The film, already garnering positive reviews from critics, marks Spielberg's musical debut and his third time filming in New Jersey.

2) Eva’s Village in Paterson receives $20,000 Kearny Bank contribution - (FAIRFIELD, NJ) --In support of Paterson-based non-profit Eva’s Village, KearnyBank Foundation has contributed a total of $20,000 to help address an expanded need for services dictated by the ongoing pandemic.

3) Newark Mayor Signs Executive Order Ending Proof of Vaccination Requirement and Lifting Indoor Mask Mandate - (NEWARK, NJ) -- Mayor Ras J. Baraka announced that effective  Wednesday, March 2, under a new Executive Order, the City of Newark is lifting the proof of vaccination mandate, and will no longer require persons to wear face masks while indoors in public places. Businesses have the discretion to require patrons and employees to wear face masks while in their establishment. In addition, it is strongly recommended that buildings housing seniors/and or the disabled require the wearing of face masks in public and common areas, including, but not limited to elevators, hallways, stairways. Masks are still required in common areas of all government buildings.

4) The 9 O’clock Whistle Opens the New Jersey Film Festival's 40th Anniversary Season on September 10, 2021 - The 9 O’Clock Whistle, created by Willa Cofield and Karen Riley, shows how the actions of one marginalized community changed a segregated southern town forever. The film centers on Enfield, a racially segregated town of 5,000 residents in North Carolina. During the 1960’s, a loud siren would sound at 9 o’clock, dubbed the 9 o’clock whistle. The whistle would signal curfew for black residents in downtown Enfield so that white residents would have the area to themselves for the night. Fed up with countless instances of inequality such as the denial of employment at various white establishments and being denied service because of their skin color, the residents of Enfield began a movement spanning from 1963 to 1965 that would permanently transform the town. The 9 O’Clock Whistle, which showcases the impact of perseverance, resilience, and determination in the fight for racial equality in Enfield, North Carolina, opens the New Jersey Film Festival Fall 2021 on September 10.

5) Mac & Cheese Mayhem Is Coming To Morristown - (MORRISTOWN, NJ) -- Mac and Cheese lovers rejoice! Your dreams have come true. Can you think of a better way to spend the day than trying different variations of mac and cheese? Everyone’s favorite comfort food! Experience gourmet, chef-inspired twists on your childhood favorite on Saturday, March 5, 2022, from 11:00am - 7:00pm at the Morristown Armory.

6) Inside "Baipás" at George Street Playhouse - Baipás, the play that will reignite the George Street Playhouse season, is, in theatrical parlance, a “two-hander,” which means that it has two characters.

7) Mother's Day Good Music Festival at Prudential Center features The Isley Brothers, Keith Sweat, Monica, and SWV - (NEWARK, NJ) -- SJ Presents The Mother’s Day Good Music Festival with multi-platinum and Grammy Award-Winning iconic performers The Isley Brothers, Keith Sweat, Monica, and SWV at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey on Friday, May 6 at 8:00pm. 

8) Rock On! This Week's Sound Bites...3/3/22 - “I went all out there, I was a little racy. I didn’t have any barriers, I didn’t feel self-conscious or any of that and coming from Boston I just thought; you know what? If you don’t like me, see you later! I kind of had a hard-ass attitude; Prince once told me that I was cold with a hard-ass and I think he was right!”

9) Swingin' Spring NJ Event at Avon Marina Celebrates Frank Sinatra - (AVON-BY-THE SEA, NJ) -- Swing into Spring and celebrate icon and legendary singer Frank Sinatra at an upcoming special musical event presented by Karen Morris of Sand Castle Communications. This tribute event will spotlight Frank Sinatra, the man and his music, on Sunday, May 1st, 2022, from 12:30pm to 3:00pm at the Avon Marina, 2 Main Street, Avon-By-The-Sea, New Jersey. 

10) Morven Museum & Garden presents "Ma Bell: The Mother of Invention in New Jersey" - (PRINCETON, NJ) -- Showcasing the ways in which NJ-born creations came to be the building blocks of today’s technology, Morven Museum & Garden is delighted to announce our upcoming new exhibition: Ma Bell: The Mother of Invention in New Jersey. Featuring historical artifacts pertinent to the many discoveries, products, and fields of work that comprised the Bell System in NJ, covering the inception of the telephone in the late 19th century to around 1984, when the Bell System monopoly divestiture created the seven “Baby Bells'' known as the Regional Bell Operating Companies, the show includes loans from the AT&T Archives and History Center, MIT Museum, National Radio Astronomy Observatory, the Historical Society of Princeton, Monmouth County Historical Association, Telesat Canada, and other private lenders.  

Event previews are always one of the most popular areas of the website. Event previews get noticed when we first publish them and then get noticed again when they are brought back to the main area of the site the week the event takes place - sometimes even several months later.  Make sure your events get previewed by sending press releases to us at [email protected] - for even more promotion, check out our ad rates which run $50-$100 for an entire month of advertising. It's the best deal around!