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Top 15 Most Read Stories At New Jersey Stage January 12-18, 2025

Published by New Jersey Stage

originally published: 01/19/2025


Here's a look at the top 15 most read articles published at New Jersey Stage from January 12-18, 2025. 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's top 15 includes articles from 7 counties in New Jersey (Burlington, Cumberland, Essex, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, and Ocean).

Make sure your events are part of our weekly columns by sending press releases to us at [email protected]. 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.  We also run weekly columns promoting events, music, and theatre shows taking place for the week. These columns include our featured event previews and event listings along with all of our event previews of the week. Your events can stand out for as low as $10! Many times, they are among the most read stories of the week. There is no cost for us to run your press releases!

1) A Philly Special Christmas releases "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" - (PHILADELPHIA, PA) -- A Philly Special Christmas has released “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” featuring performances from NFL Eagles’ Jason Kelce, Jordan Mailata and Lane Johnson produced by Charlie Hall (The War on Drugs) and executive producer Connor Barwin is out now.  This is the first in a series of holiday classic singles to be released every Friday between now and the album’s official release on December 23rd via Vera Y Records. Recorded at Rittenhouse Soundworks, Silent Partners, and Elm St studio, proceeds from the LP will be donated to the Children’s Treatment Crisis Center in Philadelphia.

2) Dessertopia - New Jersey's Ultimate Dessert Festival to Take Place in Morristown - (MORRISTOWN, NJ) — Round up your dessert squad, wear your stretchy pants and join us for the ultimate cheat day of the year. Dessertopia, New Jersey's largest dessert festival is coming to the Morristown Armory on Saturday, January 25, 2025. It's confection perfection, sweet temptation & where being desserted never felt so good! The event runs from 11:00am-7:00pm.

3) Events This Week in New Jersey from January 14-20, 2025 - Here is a look at upcoming events taking place from January 14-20, 2025 along with our featured listings. New Jersey Stage offers previews of events throughout the Garden State as well as select shows in New York City and Philadelphia areas.




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4) McCarter Theatre Center to Launch the National Tour of "Here There Are Blueberries" by Tectonic Theater Project - (PRINCETON, NJ) -- McCarter Theatre Center proudly launches the National Tour of Here There Are Blueberries, the acclaimed Pulitzer Prize finalist play from Tectonic Theater Project by Tony and Emmy nominee Moisés Kaufman and Emmy nominee Amanda Gronich. The production runs January 24 through February 9, 2025.

5) Center for Holocaust, Genocide, and Human Rights Education at Ocean County College to Host Book Discussion and Selected Readings by Author - (TOMS RIVER, NJ) -- The Center for Holocaust, Genocide and Human Rights Education at Ocean County College will host a book discussion with selected readings from "Shtetl Roots, Emigrant Routes, and a New York City Love Story" by Dr. Ali Botein-Furrevig on Monday, January 27, 2025 on OCC's main campus in Toms River. This presentation is free and open to the public.

6) Pocono Winter Wine & Food Festival Returns on Sunday - (STROUDSBURG, PA) -- The Pocono Winter Wine & Food Festival makes its grand return to the Sherman Theater in downtown Stroudsburg, PA, on Sunday, January 19, 2025. This year’s festival will feature two exclusive sessions to provide an intimate and enjoyable experience for attendees. The first session will run from 1:00pm to 3:00pm, and the second session will take place from 3:30pm to 5:30pm.

7) A Tribute to Southside Johnny - On December 20, 2024, Southside Johnny announced he was retiring from touring effective immediately.  His annual show for New Year's Eve was cancelled and fans around the world starting paying tribute to him and wondering what the future would hold for him and the Asbury Jukes.  New Jersey Stage wanted to pay tribute to him as well, so we reached out to fans in the "Jukebox: Southside Johnny fanzine" Facebook group, some musicians, and industry professionals for their thoughts.

8) Dystopian Feature Dead Community Guild screens at the New Jersey Film Festival on Saturday, January 25! - Three minutes into this film, I paused and texted my boyfriend, a huge enthusiast of creative thrillers, stunts, and cool fight scenes: “I think this is totally your thing.”

9) Levoy Theatre presents Jersey Native Zach Westcott - (MILLVILLE, NJ) -- The Levoy Theatre presents country singer-songwriter Zach Westcott on Friday, February 14, 2025 at 8:00pm.  Zach is a New Jersey native from Leesburg looking to make his mark in Nashville.

10) Masquerade Theatre presents "Rabbit Hole" - (RIVERSIDE, NJ) -- Masquerade Theatre presents Rabbit Hole by David Lindsay-Abaire across two weekends (January 31 - February 2, 2025 and February 6-8, 2025). The production is directed by by Megan Knowlton Balne.  Rabbit Hole was the recipient of the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

11) The Hellenic Dancers of NJ 2025 Taverna Night Dinner Dance presents live music with Anemos Music Project and Supports New Scholarship Fund - (HOLMDEL, NJ) -- On Saturday, February 8, 2025, The Hellenic Dancers of NJ (HDNJ) presents its 2025 Taverna Night dinner dance in the Cultural Center at Kimisis Tis Theotokou Greek Orthodox Church (20 Hillcrest Road) in Holmdel. Dance the night away to live music provided by Anemos Music Project! The event begins at 6:00pm.

12) Newark Chops: Episode 1 Drops On District Digital Media - (NEWARK, NJ) -- /PRNewswire/ -- Following a spectacular premiere event on January 13, 2025, Newark Public Schools and Newark Vocational High School (NVHS) released the first episode of their new reality series, Newark Chops.

13) Great short Chicken Broth Soup screens at the New Jersey Film Festival on Friday, January 24, 2025 - It all starts with the buzzing of a fly. A woman with a cut on her lip stands crying while waiting in a hallway to see the body of her dead husband. The architecture surrounding her is uninviting. The coloring of the world is bleak, cold. The characters around her are careless and dismissive - a disinterested prosecutor who’s too preoccupied with his own phone calls, and a straight-faced doctor who clinically goes through the motions, step by step. What is the right thing to do in a world surrounded by impassion? What is fair? Is there really nothing one can do in a situation so hopeless? Or is that just an excuse to turn a blind eye? Like a persistent, buzzing fly, these questions prod and force us to jolt out of our comfortable seats while watching Chicken Broth Soup - directed and written by Deniz Büyükkırlı, who is known for her previous work on Pretty Little Liars (2015), Brave and Beautiful (2016), and Love Me As I Am (2013).

14) Rock On! This Week's Sound Bites...1/16/25 - "I just finished up my 24th tour with Trans Siberian Orchestra as part of their West Coast band, we just finished up our annual winter tour and I'm glad to be back and prepping to do this show with the Kunes Clark Band," said Angus, the "Clark" of the Kunes Clark Band as he and partner Jimmy Kunes ready for an 8 p.m. "Face-melting" show on January 18 at the Carteret PAC which also includes legendary rockers Cactus, featuring Carmine Appice and Foghat. 

15) Makin Waves with The Weeklings: 'Excited by the Results' - Once upon a time, Jersey rocker Glen Burtnik played Paul McCartney in the Broadway production of “Beatlemania.” A tasty chunk of his career has explored Beatlemania ever since, including his current band The Weeklings, one of America’s most unique celebrations of The Fab Four.

Want your events to stand out? Check out our ad rates which start at just $50 for an entire month of targeted advertising and includes events listed in our online calendar. Or you can have your events listed in the calendar for $10 per event (shows with multiple performances get every show listed for just $10). Either way your events will be featured in the weekly columns. NJ Stage keeps our rates low so they are affordable to arts organizations of all sizes. We are proud to be an independent media company. Nobody covers the Arts throughout the Garden State like New Jersey Stage!


EVENT PREVIEWS

(MORRISTOWN, NJ) -- Hallmark Stars Live presented by Michaels, is a new live tour kicking off this summer where some of the network's most beloved stars step off screen and onto the stage. Hosted by fan-favorite Nikki DeLoach (A Grand Ole Opry Christmas), the tour will feature Hallmark mainstays for a night where the cameras are off – and the stories keep rolling. The tour comes to Mayo Performing Arts Center (MPAC) on Sunday, July 26, 2026 at 7:00pm.
Hallmark Stars Live comes to MPAC on July 26th

Hallmark Stars Live comes to MPAC on July 26th

(MORRISTOWN, NJ) -- Hallmark and Gershwin Entertainment are proud to announce Hallmark Stars Live presented by Michaels, a new live tour kicking off this summer where some of the network’s most beloved stars step off screen and onto the stage. Hosted by fan-favorite Nikki DeLoach (A Grand Ole Opry Christmas), the tour will feature Hallmark mainstays for a night where the cameras are off – and the stories keep rolling. The tour will visit Mayo Performing Arts Center (MPAC) on Sunday, July 26, 2026 at 7:00pm.
The Freakin Rican Presents "Arte de Nuestra Isla: Series Two"

The Freakin Rican Presents "Arte de Nuestra Isla: Series Two"

(TEANECK, NJ) -- The Freakin Rican presents Arte de Nuestra Isla: Series Two, the second installment of its cultural art exhibition celebrating Puerto Rican artists, storytelling, and community connection. The event takes place on Tuesday, August 4, 2026 from 6:30pm to 9:30pm at The Freakin Rican (468 Cedar Lane) in Teaneck.
Create Spectacular Giant Puppets and More for the Illumination 250 Parade, the Largest Public Art Experience in Bergen County

Create Spectacular Giant Puppets and More for the Illumination 250 Parade, the Largest Public Art Experience in Bergen County

(HACKENSACK, NJ) -- The Northern New Jersey Community Foundation invites the public to participate in the special 'Giant Puppets Workshop Series' led by artists from the internationally acclaimed Processional Arts. The puppets created in the workshop series from August 14 through August 19, 2026 will be featured in a giant puppet parade marching down Main Street in Hackensack during Illumination 250, an all-day arts festival taking place on October 3rd to celebrate America's 250th anniversary.

"Allen AME: Our Stories, Our Space, Our Legacy" to Celebrate Faith, History, Art, and Community

(CAPE MAY, NJ) -- The public is invited to attend "Allen AME: Our Stories, Our Space, Our Legacy," a free special program honoring the enduring history and cultural significance of the former Allen African Methodist Episcopal Church in Cape May. The event will take place on Saturday, September 19, 2026, from 1:00pm to 5:00pm at the Clemans Theater for the Arts at the historic Allen AME Church (717 Franklin Street) in Cape May.
Nearly One-Third of the Philadelphia Fringe Festival Lives at Cannonball This September

Nearly One-Third of the Philadelphia Fringe Festival Lives at Cannonball This September

(PHILADELPHIA, PA) -- Nearly one-third of the 2026 Philadelphia Fringe Festival comes to life at Cannonball Festival this September, as more than 100 artists present bold new work across five stages in a nonstop celebration of fearless live performance. Celebrating its sixth year, Cannonball is the largest hub of the Philadelphia Fringe Festival, championing a revolutionary artist-led model that prioritizes equity, experimentation, and community connection.
 

FEATURED EVENTS


Reina Williams and The Remedy, Patrick Bamburak, and Renee Masking

Thursday, July 23, 2026 @ 7:00pm
Middletown Arts Center
36 Church Street, Middletown, NJ


Mala Aria

Thursday, July 23, 2026 @ 1:00pm
Premiere Stages - Bauer Boucher Theatre Center
1000 Morris Avenue, Union, NJ


Salsa-Bachata-Merengue Night

Thursday, July 23, 2026 @ 8:00pm
State Theatre Studio
15 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ


Brown Sugar - Rolling Stones Tribute

Friday, July 24, 2026 @ 7:30pm
Lizzie Rose Music Room
217 E. Main Street, Tuckerton, NJ


Shrek: The Musical

Friday, July 24, 2026 @ 7:30pm
Algonquin Arts Theatre
60 Abe Voorhees Drive, Manasquan, NJ



 

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