(HOLMDEL, NJ) -- Bell Theater at Bell Works in Holmdel has unveiled the final show in its 2025 season. The rock musical A Night with Janis Joplin will close out the season from October 3-19 following Hedwig and the Angry Inch from June 13-29 and Steel Magnolias from July 25 to August 10. This lineup offers everything from laughter to tears to some all-out rock 'n roll extravaganzas!
A Night with Janis Joplin features its original Tony-nominated star, Mary Bridget Davies, backed by an eight-piece band, and co-directed by Davies and Jersey’s own Remember Jones. Dubbed the Queen of Rock, Janis Joplin took the music scene by storm in the late 1960s, with memorable performances at the Monterey Pop Festival and Woodstock. Critics noted she had “a voice like whiskey and a laugh like pure joy.” This show also shines a spotlight on the trailblazers who influenced Joplin, including Bessie Smith, Nina Simone, Etta James and Aretha Franklin.
"Mary has been a friend on and off stage for many years," said Jones. "We see and hear the world similarly in so many ways and to re-envision this show hand-in-hand is an honor."
Created and written by Randy Johnson, A Night with Janis Joplin premiered in 2011 and was an immediate success, touring nationwide for the next two years. In October 2013, the show opened on Broadway to rave reviews, transporting audiences back to the ‘60s with songs like Piece of My Heart, Cry Baby, Me and Bobby McGee and Mercedes Benz.
The New York Times raved: “Ms. Davies rockets through at least a dozen of Joplin’s best-known songs and sings them with a throbbing fervor that is often riveting.”
Curating programming at both the Axelrod Performing Arts Center in Deal and the new Bell Theater at Bell Works is Executive Artistic Director Andrew DePrisco, who is pulling out all the stops for the second season at Bell Theater.
“We are excited to be offering three new productions for Bell Theater this season, bringing together so many superb artists at the height of their powers,” said DePrisco. “Jersey Shore ‘soul sensation’ Remember Jones headlines as Hedwig, and the world-class rocker Mary Bridget Davies shines as the eponymous star in this major revival of A Night with Janis Joplin.”
A Night with Janis Joplin tickets are $65 for Premium seats, $58 for Regular seats, and $54 for students. Subscribers can save 30% on the full 2025 season at Bell Theater for $120. Tickets are available for purchase online.
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 proclaimed was “the most exciting rock score written for the theatre since, oh, ever!” The story follows Hedwig, the genderqueer East German singer of a fictional rock band, on a quest for recognition and justice. This genre-bending, fourth-wall-smashing musical sensation, with a pulsing score and electrifying performances, stars Jersey Shore favorite Remember Jones. Originally staged Off-Broadway 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). Directed by José Zayas, this production is in collaboration with the Asbury Park Theater Company and runs from June 13-29.
Before the iconic 1989 film Steel Magnolias, starring Dolly Parton, Sally Field and Julia Roberts, 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 wealthy widow, the local curmudgeon who’s “been in a bad mood for 40 years” and a mysterious newcomer. As the women make their way past life’s hurdles, they face their trials and triumphs armed with their greatest strength: each other. Steel Magnolias remains one of the most iconic comedies in the American dramatic canon. Directed by Nate Patten, the production runs July 25 through August 10.
“While musicals and concerts make up the majority of our programming, we are thrilled to be producing our first play, and we’ve selected one of the most beloved of all American plays,” said DePrisco. “Steel Magnolias makes us laugh out loud and cry out loud. It’s simply one of the most rewarding theatrical experiences anyone could ask for.”
Bell Theater is located at 101 Crawfords Corner Road on the lower level, inside the iconic Bell Works complex, with plenty of free parking. Tickets are on sale now at www.belltheater.org.
