(HOLMDEL, NJ) -- Bell Theater, located in the iconic Bell Works complex in Holmdel, has a slate of exciting concerts and stage productions lined up for the 2025 season. With performances ranging from classic rock, jazz, country, Motown and family shows, along with a groundbreaking musical and a tear-jerker of a play, there's something for everyone!
"For our second year at Bell Theater, I was eager to bring back some of 2024's favorite talents, along with some new exciting names," said Executive Artistic Director Andrew DePrisco. "And there's more to come! We're nearly ready to reveal more of our full slate of concerts, comedy and theater events at Bell Theater in the new year."
CONCERT EVENTS:
CSNY AND BEYOND - A deep and glorious dive into the timeless songs of?Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Neil Young’s solo years, Buffalo Springfield and more. Featuring: Music Director Marc Ribler (Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul, Darlene Love) on guitar and vocals; Arne Wendt (Jon Bon Jovi's Kings of Suburbia) on keyboards, guitar, and vocals; Muddy Shews (Rick Derringer, Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes) on bass, guitar, and vocals; Dave Moore (Rick Danko, Popa Chubby) on drums and vocals; and Mike McKernan (NJ All Stars) on guitar and vocals. Friday, February 21? @ 7:30pm. Tickets: $69 Premium, $59 Regular.
GIANT BUBBLE SHOW - The Giant Bubble Show features Ringling Bros. alumnus Logan Jimenez. For sixty minutes, Logan will keep children of all ages on the edge of their seats as he creates bubble sculptures, bubbles that burst into flames, bubble volcanoes and more! Saturday, March 15 @ 12:00pm & 3:00pm. Tickets: $25
BACK TO THE GARDEN 1969 - Back by popular demand, after a SOLD OUT 2024 Bell Theater performance! Back To The Garden 1969 celebrates the Woodstock Music Festival, the iconic ‘60s rock experience, a celebration of peace, love and music. Now, 55 years later, you can relive the Woodstock Experience with this full multi-media theatrical event, including video, lighting, costumes and more. Formed by Gary Adamson in 2009, Back to the Garden 1969 is a group of versatile musicians and singers who recreate the classic sounds of the Woodstock bands, including Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Jimi Hendrix, Sly & The Family Stone, Jefferson Airplane, Santana, Joe Cocker, Janis Joplin, The Band, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Canned Heat, Ten Years After, The Who, Mountain, Richie Havens, Melanie, Arlo Guthrie, Blood, Sweat & Tears, The Grateful Dead, Country Joe & The Fish,…and more! Not your typical tribute band, BTTG 1969 is a tribute to a very special moment in time, and to the many artists whose music will forever be known as “Classic Rock.” Friday, March 28?@ 7:30pm. Tickets: $55 Premium, $45 Regular
WILLIAMS HONOR – Williams Honor is NJ’s own country music duo!??Singer and powerhouse performer Reagan Richards and producer/multi-instrumentalist Gordon Brown have come together to show the world their love for modern country by building on the years of tradition, harmonies and story songs the genre continues to pride itself on.? Saturday, March 29 @ 8:00pm. Tickets: $55 Premium, $45 Regular
YELLOWJACKETS - Yellowjackets have gained and maintained prominence as one of jazz’s most influential and loved groups. Throughout their storied 43-year history, the Yellowjackets have recorded 26 albums, received 16 Grammy® nominations – won 2 – performed countless sold-out tours, and enjoyed worldwide critical acclaim and commercial success. The Yellowjackets formed in the late 1970s as the backup band for guitarist Robben Ford. They recorded their first album together in 1980. Over the years the band has undergone numerous lineup changes. Never failing to rise to the inevitable challenges of adjustment, the Yellowjackets - Russell Ferrante, William Kennedy, Bob Mintzer - have maintained an extraordinarily high quality of musicianship that is the rival of many but a surprise to no one who knows and appreciates the band and their music. Thursday, April 24 @ 7:00pm. Tickets: $79 Premium, $69 Regular
BOWIE AND BEYOND - Formed and led by singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist and ex-Meat Loaf band member, Ray Andersen in 2018, this exciting, sexy rock and roll show is a celebration of the music of David Bowie, as well as ones he either co-wrote and/or produced like “Walk On the Wild Side” (Lou Reed), “Under Pressure” (Queen), “All hhe Young Dudes (“Mott the Hoople), plus some glam-rock gems from the 1970s. While the band does dress up & feel the glam vibe, they don't try to look like him, as the emphasis of the show is more of a celebration by honoring Bowie’s musical wizardry, performed by multiple lead vocalists and musicians all singing & playing these theatrical, artful, joyous gems...as an ensemble. Ray is joined by some of NJ’s most talented & sought-after musicians: Reagan Richards, Layonne Holmes, Arne Wendt, Ralph Notaro, David Anthony, Tommy Labella and Mike Doktorski.? Saturday, May 17? @ 8:00pm. Tickets: $42 Premium, $35 Regular
MOTOR CITY REVUE - Back by popular demand, Motor City Revue returns to Bell Theater! Motor City Revue is a 13-piece band covering popular and rare Motown and Stax hits, plus rock and soul classics. Although there are many bands that cover Motown tunes, few strive to match the vocal harmonies and instrumental mix that distinguished the original recordings. Friday, July 11 @ 7:30pm. Tickets: $55 Premium, $45 Regular
THE SIMON AND GARFUNKEL SONGBOOK - This unique and entertaining music and multimedia event chronicles the extraordinary career of Simon & Garfunkel. The music speaks for itself, anchored by Rex Fowler, co-founder of the renowned folk/rock duo Aztec Two-Step, and his wife, Dodie Pettit, an original cast member of Broadway’s The Phantom of The Opera. The show’s storyline was originally created by Pete Fornatale, the late great pioneer of progressive FM radio and author of Simon & Garfunkel’s Bookends biography. Now telling the stories, emceeing and directing the engaging and amusing multimedia show is Fornatale’s dear friend and protégé, Tony Traguardo, WCWP-fm radio host, noted rock music historian, podcaster and founding board member of the Long Island Music Hall of Fame. Nostalgia and laughter abound, and a sing a-long is always in the mix! Saturday, August 16 @ 8:00pm. Tickets: $55 Premium, $45 Regular
JOHN PIZZARELLI PRESENTS A TRIBUTE TO TONY BENNETT - Guitarist and singer John Pizzarelli, hailed by the Boston Globe for “reinvigorating the Great American Songbook and re-popularizing jazz,” pays tribute to the great Tony Bennett. Established as one of the prime contemporary interpreters of the Great American Songbook, Pizzarelli has expanded that repertoire by including the music of Paul McCartney, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Tom Waits, Antônio Carlos Jobim and the Beatles. He won a Grammy Award in the Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album category as co-producer of James Taylor’s American Standard in 2021. A radio personality who got his start in the medium in 1984, Pizzarelli is co-host, alongside wife Jessica Molaskey, of Radio Deluxe with John Pizzarelli. He has performed on America’s most popular national television shows such as The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Conan, and Great Performances, as well as the talk shows of Jay Leno, David Letterman, Regis Philbin and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Saturday, October 18 @ 8:00pm. Tickets: $69 Premium, $59 Regular
HALLELUJAH: THE SONGS OF LEONARD COHEN - Back again after their SOLD OUT 2024 show, Pat Guadagno & friends celebrate the songs of Leonard Cohen, the singer-songwriter and iconic “poet of brokenness.” Among Cohen’s nearly 300 songs are “Hallelujah,” “Suzanne,” “So Long Marianne,” “Bird on a Wire,” “Famous Blue Raincoat,” and “Dance Me to the End of Love.” In his 50-year-long career, Cohen emerged as one of the most influential songwriters of the century, with over 200 artists recording his songs, from Judy Collins and Bob Dylan to U2, Aretha Franklin, R.E.M., Trisha Yearwood and Elton John. Saturday, November 15 @ 8:00pm. Tickets: $55 Premium, $45 Regular
SHADOWS OF THE ‘60S: A HOLIDAY TRIBUTE TO MOTOWN - Shadows of the 60's pays tribute to the tremendous legacy of Motown Super Groups: The Four Tops, The Temptations, the Supremes, Martha Reeves and the Vandellas and other Motown stars. Christmas was always a special time on the Motown label, and this special holiday tribute covers all those favorite arrangements, including “Santa Claus is Coming to Town,” “Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer,” “Let It Snow,” “Silent Night” and more. This is an incredible night of celebration and holiday joy. In this highly interactive and visually stunning production, Shadows of the 60s perform the hits that span several decades. Featuring top industry musicians and singers dressed in exquisitely designed costumes, Shadows of the 60s will dance and sing their way into your heart as they execute classic Motown era choreography with the intensity and excitement of the original groups. Close your eyes and you will hear the magic of Motown, open them and you will see and feel the raw “front row” experience of attending a live Motown concert, circa 1964. Capped off with a jaw- dropping grand ?nale guaranteed to keep the audience on their feet, Shadows of the 60s: A Holiday Tribute to Motown is truly a concert for everyone! Saturday, December 13 @ 2:00pm & 8:00pm. Tickets: $74 Premium, $59 Regular
THEATRICAL PRODUCTIONS:
Hedwig and The Angry Inch - Brilliantly innovative, heartbreaking, and wickedly funny, Hedwig and the Angry Inch is the landmark musical by John Cameron Mitchell and Stephen Trask that has what Time Magazine proclaims is “the most exciting rock score written for the theatre since, oh, ever!” This genre-bending, fourth-wall-smashing musical sensation, with a pulsing score and electrifying performances, tells the story of one of the most unique characters to ever hit the stage. Originally staged Off-Broadway in 1998 and later revived on Broadway to win the Tony Award for Best Musical Revival in 2014, Hedwig and the Angry Inch remains “groundbreaking and undoubtedly ahead of its time” (Entertainment Weekly). This production is in collaboration with the Asbury Park Theater Company. June 13–29. Tickets: Premium: $55, Regular: $45, Standard: $35, Student: $28
Steel Magnolias - Before the iconic 1989 film starring Dolly Parton and Julia Roberts broke box office records, Louisiana salon owner Truvy first set up shop on the stage in Robert Harling’s masterpiece play. The colorful cast of regulars and employees that frequent her establishment include a mother-daughter duo planning a wedding, a woman who’s “been in a bad mood for 40 years,” and a mysterious newcomer. Through laughter, tears, and a thick fog of hairspray, these women face trials and triumphs armed with their greatest strength: each other. Steel Magnolias remains one of the most iconic comedies in the American dramatic canon. July 18 - August 3. Tickets: Tickets: Premium: $58, Regular: $48, Standard: $38, Student: $28
Bell Theater at Bell Works is located at 101 Crawfords Corner Road in Holmdel, New Jersey, inside the Bell Works complex with plenty of free parking. For tickets, call 732-531-9106 ext. 14 or visit www.belltheater.org. It is state-of-the-art facility dedicated to providing exceptional cultural programming to the community. Bell Theater offers a platform for emerging artists while showcasing established acts, all within a space designed to create an immersive and accessible experience for all guests. The venue is operated by Axelrod Performing Arts Center.
The Axelrod Performing Arts Center (APAC) is a leading cultural institution on the Jersey Shore, committed to producing and presenting a diverse range of artistic performances. As a multi-disciplinary arts organization, APAC collaborates with Broadway directors, choreographers and designers to produce professionally staged musicals, ballets and cultural programs that enrich the imaginative, intellectual and creative soul of our community. Their productions showcase the talents of professional actors, dancers and singers, delivering world-class entertainment to audiences.
