Here are previews of plays taking place from August 22-28, 2023 including a look at productions starting this week, those continuing this week, and those closing this week. New Jersey Stage covers Equity, community, college, and high school theatre. Check back every week for the weekly theatre preview. Click on the title to go to the full preview.
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Plays opening this week
Thursday, August 24, 2023 - Clinton Hill Community Action and South Ward ArtsXChange present A Night at the Theater (NEWARK, NJ) -- Clinton Hill Community Action (CHCA) and South Ward ArtsXChange proudly present A Night at the Theater on Thursday, August 24 from 6:00pm to 8:00pm at Mildred Helms Park, entrances on Hedden Terrace and Seymour Avenue. Get ready for a magical evening with Yendor Theater Company presents Eternal City, a play by Pia Wilson. Wilson, a Newark native, is bringing her talents home once again. She previously wrote the play Down Neck to help celebrate Newark's 350th anniversary. That play was directed by the late Rodney Gilbert, who was also the founding artistic director of the Yendor Theater Company.
Friday, August 25, 2023 - Clifton Arts Center and Theater League to Host Joint Fundraiser Musical Revue August 25-27 (CLIFTON, NJ) -- The Theater League of Clifton and the Clifton Arts Center will host a musical revue joint fundraiser to benefit both community organizations. "A Toast to Broadway" will be held August 25, 26 and 27 at the Clifton Arts Center, 900 Clifton Ave. The Friday and Saturday performances will begin at 7:30pm. The Sunday matinee will start at 2:00pm.
Plays ending this week
Cape May Stage presents "Art" by Yasmina Reza (CAPE MAY, NJ) -- The award-winning play Art opens at Cape May Stage on July 20th and runs through August 27, 2023 with shows Tuesday through Sunday nights at 8:00pm. Written by internationally acclaimed playwright Yasmina Reza and directed by Roy Steinberg, this comedic show is set in Paris and focuses on the meaning of art and friendship in a battle of wits and words.
Center Players to Present "A Black and White Cookie" (FREEHOLD, NJ) -- Center Players will conclude its successful 2022-23 season with a Signature Series production of A Black and White Cookie, an insightful new play by playwright/novelist Gary Morgenstein. The comedic drama will run August 11-27, 2023 at Center Playhouse at 35 South Street in downtown Freehold, NJ.
The Theater Project presents "Miss Abigail's Guide to Dating, Mating, and Marriage!" (MAPLEWOOD, NJ) -- Dr. Ruth Meets Emily Post: With help from her assistant Paco and a few cooperative audience volunteers, Miss Abigail demonstrates flirtation techniques from 1940s and 50s how-to-find-romance handbooks to prove that "love can't be bought -- but it can be taught!" in Miss Abigail's Guide to Dating, Mating, and Marriage! The Theater Project presents this play by Ken Davenport & Sarah Saltzberg from August 17-27, 2023 in Maplewood, NJ.
Plays continuing this week
NJ Rep to Present World Premiere of "A Tailor Near Me" by Michael Tucker (LONG BRANCH, NJ) -- The New Jersey Repertory Company will present the world premiere of Michael Tucker's comedy A Tailor Near Me, directed by James Glossman. Starring Tony Nominee Richard Kind and James Pickens, Jr., this limited run will begin on July 27 in advance of its July 29 opening night and will run through September 3, 2023. In the play, a man goes to a tailor to have his suit pants let out because he's gained some weight since he last wore them. The tailor convinces him that what he really needs is a new suit, which leads to a negotiation, which leads to the making of a bespoke suit, which leads to alterations in both of their lives.
East Lynne Theater Co. presents "Driving Miss Daisy" (CAPE MAY, NJ) -- Cape May's famed East Lynne Theater Company will present Alfred Uhry's Pulitzer Prize-winning play Driving Miss Daisy from August 2 to September 2, 2023. Driving Miss Daisy relays the story of Daisy Werthan, an elderly Southern Jewish woman, and her African-American chauffeur, Hoke Coleburn. When Miss Daisy crashes her car into a garage, her son Boolie hires Hoke to drive her wherever she needs to go. The duo forms an unlikely, decades-long friendship.
FEATURED
Thursday, August 24, 2023 @ 7:00pm - McCarter Live at the Library: Bulrusher at Princeton Public Library - Community Room, 65 Witherspoon Street, Princeton, NJ 08540
Plays coming soon
The Black Box continues Edward Albee: From A to Zoo series with "Malcolm" (ENGLEWOOD, NJ) -- The Black Box, Northern NJ's incubator for new and under produced works from world-class artists, in association with The Estate of Edward Albee, presents Edward Albee: From A To Zoo, An Exclusive Stage Reading Series of Edward Albee's Plays. Next up is Malcolm (1966) on Wednesday, August 30, 2023 at 7:30pm.
Premiere Stages at Kean presents "Selling Kabul" (UNION, NJ) -- Premiere Stages at Kean University will present the New Jersey Premiere of Sylvia Khoury's Selling Kabul September 7-24 in Kean University's Bauer Boucher Theatre Center (Vaughn Eames Hall, 1000 Morris Avenue, Union, NJ). Directed by Taylor Reynolds, Selling Kabul will feature actors Atra Asdou, Anat Cogan, Afsheen Misaghi, and Zaven Ovian.
Howell PAL Theater Company presents "Peter Pan": Broadway's Timeless Musical (LAKEWOOD, NJ) -- Howell PAL Theater Company's second summer musical, Peter Pan, Broadway's Timeless Musical whisks audiences away to a place where dreams are born and no one ever grows up. Performances take place at The Strand Theater in Lakewood on Friday, September 8, 2023 at 7:30pm and Saturday, September 9, 2023 at 2:00pm.
