Here's a look at the top 15 most read articles published on New Jersey Stage from August 9-15, 2026. Each week we publish at least 70 articles, including original columns and features, promoting events and covering arts news taking place throughout the state and nearby areas like Philadelphia and New York City. This week's top 15 includes articles from 11 counties in New Jersey (Atlantic, Camden, Cape May, Essex, Hudson, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean, Passaic, and Warren).
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1) BlowUpRadio.com's New & Notable NJ Music 8/10/26 - Lazlo, founder of BlowUpRadio.com (an online radio station based around New Jersey artists), shines a light on some of the many new releases from NJ based musicians with this column. This week Lazlo takes a look at new releases by Des & the Swagmatics, Bamberdost, Owen Lake and the Tragic Loves, Jonny Couch, Sean Henry Tonight!, and Ava LaMonte. Plus a look back at "Duluth" by Particle Zoo.
2) Passaic County Fair Returns to Garret Mountain August 13–16 - (WOODLAND PARK, NJ) -- The Passaic County Board of County Commissioners and Friends of Passaic County Parks, Inc. invite residents and visitors from across the region to the 2026 Passaic County Fair, running Thursday, August 13 through Sunday, August 16 at Garret Mountain Reservation in Paterson/Woodland Park.
3) 2026 Morristown Jazz & Blues Festival to Take Place August 15th - (MORRISTOWN, NJ) -- Morristown Mayor Tim Dougherty has announced the line-up for this year's free annual Morristown Jazz & Blues Festival. It will be held on Saturday, August 15, 2026 on the Green. The music begins at noon and runs until 10:00pm. As it has over the years, the festival will honor two of its founders, Linda Smith and Michael Fabrizio, who both sadly passed away within a week of each other in June 2021.
4) The Carriage House at Paper Mill Playhouse Launches Summer 2026 Entertainment Series - (MILLBURN, NJ) -- The F.M. Kirby Carriage House at Paper Mill Playhouse announces its inaugural Summer Entertainment Series, introducing acclaimed Broadway and cabaret artists Evan Tyrone Martin (New York City Center's The Wild Party) and Annie Hägg (Giant) to lead an expanded lineup of live entertainment throughout July and August at the newly refurbished restaurant and event space.
5) Paper Mill Playhouse Announces 2026-2027 Season - (MILLBURN, NJ) -- Paper Mill Playhouse has announced its 88th season of world-class shows to be presented during the theater's 2026-2027 season in Millburn. The season includes productions of Mary Poppins, Ken Ludwig's Lend Me a Tenor, Million Dollar Quartet, and Dear Evan Hansen.
6) Center Drama presents "Grease" - (DEAL, NJ) -- Center Drama presents the classic musical, Grease, from August 13-23, 2026 at the JCC Performing Arts Center in Deal. With a hip-shaking rock 'n' roll score featuring hits like "Summer Nights" and "We Go Together," Grease celebrates Rydell High's class of 1959 in all their duck-tailed, bobby-soxed, gum-snapping glory.
7) Algonquin Arts Theatre presents "Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical" - (MANASQUAN, NJ) -- Algonquin Arts Theatre presents Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical across two weekends from August 8-16, 2026. Bold, revolutionary, and electrifying, Hair captures the spirit of a generation and stands as the ultimate celebration of the 1960s.
8) Showboat Resorts Garden Pier hosts RE-WIND 69' Music Festival - (ATLANTIC CITY, NJ) -- The inaugural RE-WIND 69' Music Festival at Showboat Resorts Garden Pier takes place August 14-16, 2026 - the anniversary weekend of the original Woodstock 1969 festival. This is a spectacular revival of a moment in American history when music united generations, healed communities, and sparked cultural change. For three unforgettable days, Atlantic City becomes a living time capsule, bringing the spirit of Woodstock and 1969 back to life through world-class recreations of the now legendary musical performances by a dynamic mix of New Jersey musicians along with national and international touring acts.
9) "Amazing!" Bruce Hornsby LIVE! at Ocean City Music Pier - Music fans on the Boardwalk in Ocean City, NJ walk in the sun towards the historic Ocean City Music Pier this Monday, July 17, 2026 evening for a concert at the Jersey Shore by singer/songwriter Bruce Hornsby and his band, The Noisemakers.
10) South Camden Theatre Company's New Play Reading Series presents a reading of "The Ocean Deep" by Katherine Vondy - (CAMDEN, NJ) -- South Camden Theatre Company's New Play Reading Series presents a reading of The Ocean Deep by Katherine Vondy on Monday, August 10, 2026. Admission is free with live music at 6:00pm and the reading & discussion at 7:00pm.
11) New Jersey Film Festival Fall 2026 Includes a Concert Featuring Two Bands of Rutgers Students - (NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ) -- Hanging Coats and Lawns, part of New Brunswick's basement music scene, take the stage for an audio-visual performance on October 2 , 2026 from 7:00pm to 9:00pm. A Rutgers student is injecting some sonic youth from the New Brunswick music scene into this year's New Jersey Fall Film Festival.
12) EVENT: OHO Productions presents Rahul Subramanian Live - After touring his stand-up comedy show “Who Are You?” for over two years and earning a nomination for Best Show at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2025, Rahul is back on the road with a brand new stand-up comedy show. Performed in Hinglish, this show features fresh jokes, new stories, and the same old Rahul - observant, self-aware, and intelligently silly.
13) EVENT: JB & the JB Blues Band Record Release Show - Muddy Waters Gastropub presents some high-quality original blues when respected New Jersey-based bluesman James 'JB' Barnes and his JB & the JB Blues Band perform in concert on Saturday, August 15, 2026 at 8:00pm. This is a CD Release Party for Barnes' critically-lauded new album, My Mississippi Blues. Free MMB CDs will be given to the first ten paid admissions.
14) World Premiere of "Parking Spot: The Musical!" to Take Place at Edinburgh Festival Fringe - (JERSEY CITY, NJ) -- What started as a joke about the impossible search for parking in Jersey City is about to take center stage on the other side of the Atlantic. This August, Parking Spot: The Musical!, an original musical comedy created by New Jersey-based husband-and-wife team Louis Armistead and Lyndsey Alexander, will make its world premiere at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the world's largest performing arts festival, where thousands of productions from more than 60 countries perform each summer.
15) Albert Music Hall presents Pineystock on Sunday - (WARETOWN, NJ) -- Albert Music Hall will be filled with peace, pickin' and harmonies on Sunday, August 9, 2026 as Pineystock returns for a "far out" afternoon celebrating the sounds and spirit of the late 1960s and early 1970s.
Known for her confessional lyrics and raspy, smoky vocals, Melissa Etheridge (“I’m the Only One” “Come to My Window,” “I Want to Come Over.”) has remained one of America’s favorite female singers since bursting onto the scene in 1988. Etheridge performs songs from her new album, Rise, and her hits.
Dion and his music have long represented a special time and place, reflective of a moment when a song could mean so much. When a singer could sum up what it means to be young, in love and on top of the world. Dion is more than a cherished memory as critic Dave Marsh noted, “Dion is the only artist from the 1950’s who has remained creative and relevant into the 2000s.” In 1958 he had three top-forty hits. In 2008 he was nominated for a Grammy. In 2020, is releasing new studio album Blues with Friends, joined by Joe Bonamassa, Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen, Van Morrison, Jeff Beck, Billy Gibbons and many other rock luminaries. In the ’50s he was one of a handful of innovators who defined rock ‘n’ roll and that’s still very much the case.
Julio Torres is an Emmy-nominated, Peabody-winning and WGA-winning writer, director, and comedian from El Salvador.
A writer and an AI software designer battle to create the next great play in this cautionary tale about the impending intersection of technology and creativity.
Rock and roll doesn’t get any better than Van Morrison. Van the Man has done it all - from classic rockers like Brown Eyed Girl and Domino to legendary tunes like Tupelo Honey and Into The Mystic, the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer has never failed to impress music lovers around the globe.
