New Jersey Stage: Daily Edition 05-16-22

Here is the morning update from New Jersey's arts newswire. We regularly publish between 8-15 new articles and news reports each day. Nobody covers the Arts throughout the Garden State like New Jersey Stage!

If your arts organization sends out press releases, make sure you have info@newjerseystage.com on your media list for coverage.

theatre

"Present Laughter" presented by MTM Players at Kelsey Theatre

(WEST WINDSOR, NJ) -- Kelsey Theatre continues its 2022 season with MTM Players’ production of Noël Coward’s popular comedy “Present Laughter” weekends from May 27 through June 5, 2022. First produced in 1942 with the playwright himself in the leading role, the three-act play is a semi-autobiographical comedy that follows a self-obsessed actor in the midst of a mid-life crisis. The riotously funny show is replete with unexpected twists that include seductions, suspicions, adulteries and blackmail.

Axelrod PAC presents "Grease"

(OCEAN TOWNSHIP, NJ) -- The Axelrod Performing Arts Center presents the musical Grease for three weeks, June 3-19 at the Vogel Auditorium. Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the musical's Broadway opening, this production of Grease is directed and choreographed by Lisa Stevens, whose resume includes the revivals of Chicago on Broadway and the West End and Dolly Parton's 9 to 5 The Musical

Final Two Weekends of "The Burdens" at Mile Square Theatre

(HOBOKEN, NJ) -- Mile Square Theatre enters the final two weekends left of The Burdens by Kevin R. Free, which closes May 22nd. This is the final play of MST’s 2021-2022 season, and the final play curated by MST’s founder and former Artistic Director, Chris O’Connor. In the play, Mordy is a struggling musician living in Los Angeles. His older sister Jane is a successful attorney in New Jersey. But when their widowed mother’s life becomes emotionally and financially taxed by her terrible, centenarian father, these two adult siblings are drawn together into an elaborate plot to relieve their mother’s burden and their own.

"A Walk on the Moon" in the Summer of 1969

There continues to be new joys each week as live theater comes back. Such is the situation at New Brunswick’s George Street Playhouse where a wonderful new show is now playing through May 21, 2022. A Walk on the Moon is a musical based on the 1999 movie of the same name. The story takes you back to the summer of 1969 when two significant events occurred as America’s involvement in the Vietnam War was still taking place.

Pebble Players presents "Oliver! Jr."

(SUMMIT, NJ) -- Consider yourself at home with Oliver! JR., the Broadway Junior version of Lionel Bart's classic musical based on Charles Dickens' novel, "Oliver Twist." The Tony and Olivier Award-winning show is one of the few musicals to win an Academy Award for Best Picture and is widely hailed as a true theatrical masterpiece by actors and audience members alike. Pebble Players presents Oliver! Jr. June 10-12 and June 17-19.

Get to know the artists behind "Whittier"

(FRENCHTOWN, NJ) -- ArtYard presents a staged reading of Whittier by Tylie Shider at its McDonnell Theater on Saturday, May 21, 2022 at 4:00pm. Whittier is a contemporary docudrama that follows a diverse community of neighbors quarantined in Whittier, Minneapolis, days after the murder of George Floyd. This multimedia docudrama is inspired by the graffiti, lawn signs, and murals created in protest of Floyd’s murder. The piece is adapted from focus groups, interviews, and small talks the playwright conducted with neighbors, small business owners, and community leaders of faith during the 2020 uprisings in his neighborhood.

music

Music Legend Tito Puente Jr. to Kick Off Monthly "Salsa Night" at Newark Symphony Hall

(NEWARK, NJ) -- Newark Symphony Hall, New Jersey’s largest Black-led arts and entertainment venue, kicks off its monthly Salsa Night program with Billboard Music Award-winning musician Tito Puente Jr. on Friday, May 27 at 7:00pm. Salsa Night will take place every third Friday of the month throughout the year.

Wonderwall Communications presents “I’ve Got a Feeling: A Celebration of the Beatles’ Rooftop Concert” with Magical Mystery Girls and Beatles Expert Kenneth Womack

(NEW YORK, NY) -- Wonderwall Communications presents “I’ve Got a Feeling: A Celebration of the Beatles’ Rooftop Concert” featuring the Magical Mystery Girls, America’s premier all-female Beatles tribute band, and Kenneth Womack, author and world-renowned authority on the Beatles and their enduring cultural influence. This special event will take place Sunday, June 5, 2022 at 2:00pm (doors at 1:00pm) at The Cutting Room in New York City.

"Ella At The Hollywood Bowl: The Irving Berlin Songbook" To Be Released In June

(LOS ANGELES, CA) -- On August 16, 1958, just a few months after Ella Fitzgerald recorded her now-classic album, Ella Fitzgerald Sings The Irving Berlin Songbook, The First Lady Of Song performed selections from that album live at the Hollywood Bowl to an adoring, sold-out crowd. Conducted and arranged by Paul Weston, who also arranged and conducted the studio sessions, this concert marked the only time that Ella performed these iconic arrangements live with a full orchestra.

The Aquadolls Releases "Help (I'm Falling 4U and I Can't Get Up)" and Announces Shows in Camden and Holmdel

(CAMDEN, NJ) -- Southern California all-female rock trio The Aquadolls are back with a new single titled "Help (I'm Falling 4U and I Can't Get Up)." It follows on the heels of the trio's recently wrapped national co-headline tour with Republic Records' Sitting On Stacy. The band will support Incubus and Sublime With Rome this summer with local stops at Camden's Freedom Mortgage Pavilion on Friday, August 5th and the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel on Saturday, August 6th.

WHY NOT releases self-titled album

(MINNEAPOLIS, MN) -- WHY NOT have officially released their self-titled album. It’s the most WHY NOT version of WHY NOT. The 10-tracks, which include the previously released singles “In Love With The Sound", "Take a Minute", and "You're My Kind" was produced by Caleb Hinz (Hippo Campus, Samia, Miloe).

Eternal Frequency Releases "A.I."

Harrisburg, PA based Heavy Rock band Eternal Frequency has released the second installment of their dark, cinematic, sci-fi imbued series, "A.I." Directed and edited by Tom Flynn with VFX by Kyle Monroe, and preceded by the equally impactful, dystopic and yet uplifting music video for "Step Up," "A.I." continues the band's exploration into the acceptance and assertion of one's individualism in an increasingly oppressive world of technology dominated identity politics.

New Jersey Symphony musicians take center stage for Mozart and Vivaldi works

(NEWARK, NJ) -- New Jersey Symphony musicians take center stage for works by Mozart and Vivaldi led by Music Director Xian Zhang, June 2–5. Associate Concertmaster Brennan Sweet and Assistant Principal Viola Elzbieta Weyman perform Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante for Violin and Viola; Assistant Principal Flute/Piccolo Kathleen Nester performs Vivaldi’s Piccolo Concerto in C Major, RV 443. The program also features Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 4, “Italian”; and Rossini’s Overture to L’italiana in Algeri.

Legendary Animator Ian Emes, Creator of Animations for Pink Floyd, Mike Oldfield, Wings and More To Launch Online Store

For the first time ever the amazing artworks of Ian Emes are available in an official range of apparel, accessories, prints and other media. The Ian Emes Online Store will enable you to enter the mind of the genius who created the incredible animations for Pink Floyd, Mike Oldfield, Wings and more. Ian Emes is one the greatest living British animators, his seminal works embedded into the history of rock ‘n’ roll.

Voice of Addiction releases "Shinigami" off upcoming album

Voice Of Addiction are politically charged and socially conscious Chicago based punk-rockers. V.o.A. has been around since 2004 doing over 1,500 shows across North America. The new full-length “Divided States” is available August 5, 2022 and the first single "Shinigami" was released in April.

Makin Waves Song of the Week: "You Are All (...Splatter)" by America Part Two

“You Are All (…Splatter”), the first of two singles from Jersey Shore-based America Part Two’s forthcoming EP, “AP2-inverse,” is the Makin Waves Song of the Week

film

2022 Lighthouse International Film Festival's Dramatic Features Competition

(LONG BEACH ISLAND, NJ) -- The Lighthouse International Film Festival (LIFF) has announced its 2022 dramatic features competition program, which includes inspiring, creative, and shocking films from the USA and around the world. The festival will take place for the 14th time on Long Beach Island, between June 2-5, a long weekend that offers a host of exciting in-person events: new film screenings, panels, networking events, and parties. In addition to its dramatic features competition, LIFF will hold a documentary features competition, a shorts competition, an episodic competition, a high school film competition, surf film screenings, and headliner programs.

dance

Ariel Rivka Dance presents 2022 Spring Season

(NEW YORK, NY) -- Ariel Rivka Dance (ARD) presents their Spring Season from May 19-21, 2022 at 7:30pm, with an additional family matinee performance featuring ARD students and company on May 21, 2022 at 2:00pm, at the Manhattan Movement & Arts Center, 248 W. 60th Street, NYC. The finale performance on May 21, 2022 at 7:30pm will also be livestreamed on YouTube. All ticket buyers will receive a link to the livestream after the final performance, available for ten days only.

Cinderella Goes Back to the Ball, Glass Slippers and All, at Morristown

Everybody knows the story of Cinderella. She was the lovable daughter of a cranky, mean, rude, unfair, disgraceful, hateful... did I leave anything out? – stepmother in olden times.

art

Riverside Gallery presents SungMo Cho and "The Last Pencil on Earth"

(HACKENSACK, NJ) -- Riverside Gallery presents artist SungMo Cho with "The Last Pencil on Earth" from June 14-30, 2022. About 30 pencil works from November 2019 (The Last Pencil on Earth) and 30 canvas works that have not been presented since 2018 (Along the love road – Full Moon works, Along the love road works) will be presented in the exhibition.

community

Top 10 Most Read Stories at New Jersey Stage For Week of May 8-14, 2022

Here's a look at the top 10 most read articles published at New Jersey Stage during the week of May 8-14, 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 six counties in New Jersey (Cape May, Middlesex, Morris, Passaic, Somerset, and Warren).

Kick Back Tiki Cruises Launches in Wildwood

(WILDWOOD, NJ) -- Two shore locals have teamed up to bring their passion project to the waves of the Jersey Shore this summer. Vineland native Captain Tim Merighi and Ocean City business partner Matt Sawyer announce the launch of Kick Back Tiki Cruises out of Wildwood, New Jersey. Their new tiki boat and floating bar will offer private chartered BYO cruises departing several times a day from their dock at 626 W. 26th Avenue.

Sixth Annual Dine Below the Line Hunger Awareness Event Took Place May 12th

(METUCHEN, NJ) -- On May 12, 2022, REPLENISH, formerly known as the Middlesex County Food Organization and Outreach Distribution Services (MCFOODS), hosted its sixth annual Dine Below the Line hunger awareness event at First Presbyterian in Metuchen. In addition to raising awareness about the growing problem of food insecurity and showcase food pantries, how to access them, the resources and support services that are available, and remove the stigma attached to utilizing the pantries. Feeding Middlesex County will use the funds raised from last night’s event – over $4,000 -- to purchase food and basic supplies to aid Middlesex County families struggling with food insecurity.

State Theatre presents Blue Man Group on Tour

(NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ) -- The newly renovated State Theatre New Jersey presents the smash hit phenomenon, Blue Man Group on Tour for three performances from May 24-26. More than 50 million people around the world have experienced the Blue Man Group. Now, they come to New Brunswick for a limited engagement on their new North American tour. It’s everything you know and love about Blue Man Group—signature drumming, colorful moments of creativity and quirky comedy—the men are still blue, but the rest is all new. Featuring pulsing, original music, custom-made instruments, surprise audience interaction and hilarious absurdity.

New Jersey Stage:
Daily Edition 05-16-22

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