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This Week in Theatre: Previews for Plays Taking Place May 5-11, 2026

Here are previews of plays taking place from May 5-11, 2026 including a look at productions currently being presented and those coming soon. New Jersey Stage covers Equity, community, college, and high school theatre. Check back every week for the weekly theatre preview.



 

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Surflight Theatre presents Rodgers and Hammerstein's "A Grand Night for Singing"

(BEACH HAVEN, NJ) -- Surflight Theatre presents Rodgers and Hammerstein's A Grand Night for Singing weekends from May 23 through June 7, 2026. Taste and imagination, the two key ingredients for a first-rate revue, abound in this fresh take on the Rodgers & Hammerstein canon, conceived by Tony Award winner Walter Bobbie.



Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey presents "Private Lives"

(MADISON, NJ) -- The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey presents Private Lives by Noël Coward from May 16 to June 7, 2026 in the F.M. Kirby Shakespeare Theatre. A razor-sharp comedy of manners, Private Lives crackles with Coward's signature wit and elegance.



Cape May Stage presents "What the Constitution Means to Me"

(CAPE MAY, NJ) -- Cape May Stage presents What the Constitution Means to Me by Heidi Schreck from June 3-28, 2026. Fifteen-year-old Heidi earned her college tuition by winning constitutional debate competitions across the country. In this electrifying and deeply personal play, she revisits that teenage self to explore how the U.S. Constitution has shaped her life — and how it continues to shape all of ours.



Ritz Theatre Company presents "Porgy and Bess"

(HADDON TOWNSHIP, NJ) -- The Ritz Theatre Company presents Porgy and Bess from May 1-24, 2026. Set in the 1930s in Catfish Row, a Black community in Charleston, South Carolina,the musical tells the story of Porgy, a kind but disabled beggar, and Bess, a woman trying to escape her violent lover Crown and the seductive pull of drugs offered by Sportin' Life. The production is directed by Darryl Thompson, Jr.



Somerset Valley Players presents "Crimes of the Heart"

(HILLSBOROUGH, NJ) -- Somerset Valley Players presents Crimes of the Heart weekends from June 5-21, 2026. Warmhearted, irreverent, zany and brilliantly imaginative, Beth Henley's Pulitzer Prize-winning play examines the plight of three young Mississippi sisters betrayed by their passions.



Chatham Players presents "Things I Know to Be True"

(CHATHAM, NJ) -- Chatham Players presents Things I Know to Be True by Andrew Bovell across two weekends from June 5-14, 2026. In the play, Bob and Fran Price have worked their fingers to the bone, and with their four children grown and ready to fly the nest, it might be time to relax and enjoy the roses. But, as each season brings changes, it becomes clear that life never works out as planned.



Pioneer Productions presents "Merrily We Roll Along"

(MORRISTOWN, NJ) -- Pioneer Productions presents Merrily We Roll Along, the groundbreaking musical by Stephen Sondheim with a book by George Furth. Based on the 1934 play by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart, the musical premiered in 1981 and has since become one of Sondheim's most daring and emotionally resonant works. The show will run weekends from June 19-June 28, 2026 at The Stage at Fellowship Hall, located inside the Morristown United Methodist Church.



First Avenue Playhouse presents "Old Love"

(ATLANTIC HIGHLANDS, NJ) -- First Avenue Playhouse presents Old Love by Norm Foster across three weekends from May 15-30, 2026. This love story spans three decades with half a dozen meetings between Bud, a salesman, and Molly, his boss's wife.



Middlesex County's Plays in the Park presents "All Shook Up"

(EDISON, NJ) -- Middlesex County's Plays in the Park kicks off its season with All Shook Up from June 17-27, 2026. Loosely based on Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, it's 1955, and into a square little town rides a guitar-playing young man who changes everything and everyone he meets.



Bear Tavern Project and the 2026 Tomato Patch Jr Students present "Cosmic Campfire Chronicles"

(WEST WINDSOR, NJ) -- Bear Tavern Project and the 2026 Tomato Patch Jr Students present Cosmic Campfire Chronicles across two weekends from May 23-31, 2026 at the Kelsey Theatre. It takes place one quiet night deep in the forest, a group of children gathers around a flickering campfire, swapping ghost stories under a sky ablaze with stars. Suddenly, the stars begin to move.



ShowKids Invitational Theatre presents "Disney's Frozen, The Broadway Musical"

(GLEN GARDNER, NJ) -- ShowKids Invitational Theatre (SKIT) presents Disney's Frozen, The Broadway Musical, from May 2-10, 2026 in the Voorhees High School Auditorium. Based on the Academy Award-winning animated feature film, this musical includes all the film's beloved songs by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez, along with new music written exclusively for the stage.



Daily Edition 05-05-26

Here is the morning update from New Jersey's arts newswire. We regularly publish between 8-15 new articles and news reports each day. Nobody covers the Arts throughout the Garden State like New Jersey Stage!










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Joyfully Set Daily Rituals to Eat Freely and Live Radiantly with Author Radhi Devlukia-Shetty

(TOMS RIVER, NJ) -- How can singing to your food and eating dessert before dinner improve your digestion, skin, and overall wellbeing? Bestselling author and entrepreneur Radhi Devlukia-Shetty will take you on a journey in a virtual discussion on Tuesday, May 5, 2026. The event presented by the Ocean County Library begins at 2:00pm.


ShowKids Invitational Theatre presents "Disney's Frozen, The Broadway Musical"

(GLEN GARDNER, NJ) -- ShowKids Invitational Theatre (SKIT) presents Disney's Frozen, The Broadway Musical, from May 2-10, 2026 in the Voorhees High School Auditorium. Based on the Academy Award-winning animated feature film, this musical includes all the film's beloved songs by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez, along with new music written exclusively for the stage.


NJPAC presents a Spring Season of Jazz

(NEWARK, NJ) -- New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) presents a Spring Season of Jazz with free monthly jazz jams at Clement's Place and two special concert events inside the Victoria Theater. This series, running from September through June, is co-presented by NJPAC's Jazz Advisory Committee and Rutgers University–Newark's Institute of Jazz Studies (IJS). Immerse yourself in the relaxing sounds of jazz music that stimulate the players’ and listeners' minds.


Megan Thee Stallion to make her Broadway debut in "Moulin Rouge! The Musical"

(NEW YORK, NY) -- Producers of the Tony Award®-winning, record-breaking Broadway hit Moulin Rouge! The Musical have announced that three-time Grammy Award-winning superstar and actress Megan Thee Stallion will make her Broadway debut in the production as "Zidler", impresario of the titular nightclub. Taking the stage for a strictly limited 8-week engagement, Megan will light up the Al Hirshfeld Theatre from Tuesday, March 24th to Sunday, May 17, 2026, promising an unmissable, moment in the show's legendary run.


Hunterdon Hills Playhouse presents "Some Enchanted Evening"

(HAMPTON, NJ) -- Hunterdon Hills Playhouse presents Some Enchanted Evening from April 7 through May 16, 2026. This is a celebration of songs that have become a part of our lives. We sing them in the shower and we sing them to entertain and amuse.


Arden Children's Theatre presents "The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales"

(PHILADELPHIA, PA) -- This spring, Arden Children's Theatre invites families into a hilariously twisted world where classic fairy tales don't go quite as expected in its next production of the 2025/26 season, The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales (The Stinky Cheese Man). Based on the beloved book by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith, adapted by John Glore, the production brings the book's fractured fairy tales to life for kids and adults alike. Directed by Steve Pacek, the production runs on the Arden’s Arcadia stage with previews starting April 8, opening night on April 18, with performances running through May 31.


Luna Stage to Present the World Premiere of "& Sons"

(WEST ORANGE, NJ) -- Luna Stage will present the World Premiere of & Sons written by Jack Angelo Cummings and directed by Matt Monaco, running April 16 through May 10, 2026. Winner of the Kirk Prize for Best New Play, this is a sharply funny, emotionally hard-hitting portrait of brotherhood, labor, and the ways men learn—often badly—to love one another.







LATEST FEATURES

ART | COMEDY | DANCE | FILM | MUSIC | THEATRE | COMMUNITY | KIDS

Sentimental Journey Big Band Takes the Stage at OCC's Grunin Center on May 17th
(TOMS RIVER, NJ) -- Enjoy the music of the Greatest Generation when the Sentimental Journey Big Band presents "It Might as Well Be Swing" at the Jay and Linda Grunin Center for the Arts at Ocean County College on Sunday, May 17, 2026. Showtime is 3:00pm.



Sweet Honey in the Rock LIVE! at McCarter Theatre

Spotlight Central and Love Imagery have photos and a recap of Sweet Honey in the Rock at McCarter Theatre on April 24, 2026.




Middletown Arts Center and Dunbar Repertory Company presents "Seven Guitars" by August Wilson

(MIDDLETOWN, NJ) -- The Middletown Arts Center, in conjunction with Dunbar Repertory Company, presents a special production of Seven Guitars, directed by Mark Antonio Henderson, across two weekends from May 23–31, 2026. The play by August Wilson follows a blues musician chasing redemption and a second chance as love, ambition, and fate collide in powerful portrait of dreams deferred.




McCarter Theatre presents Madeleine Peyroux's "WE ARE AMERICA: American Songs That Give Us Hope" on May 14th

(PRINCETON, NJ) -- Madeleine Peyroux brings her WE ARE AMERICA: American Songs That Give Us Hope tour to McCarter Theatre Center on Thursday, May 14, 2026 at 7:30pm.




New Release Review - "Mother Mary"

Following Brady Corbet's Vox Lux and the recent horror sequel Smile 2, David Lowery's Mother Mary is another dark drama centred on a troubled female pop star. It also joins Peter Strickland's In Fabric and the "Weird Tailor" segment of Amicus anthology Asylum to form a sub-genre of horror movies featuring supernatural fabric.




PHOTOS from "SpongeBob SquarePants Jr " at Roman Productions

(HOLMDEL, NJ) -- Roman Productions presented The SpongeBob Musical Jr. at Saint John Vianney High School April 25-26, 2026. Under the direction of Wendy Roman, this production showcased the strength of a youth theater program rooted in confidence, collaboration, and individuality. Photographer John Posada was on hand to take photos.




Trumpeter Brandon Lee is Drawn to the 'Lasting Community Feel' of Big Bands

The big band format is, of course, one that is jazz's most timeless, enduring, and malleable. A big band could take a classic standard and update it for a modern audience, or transport that audience back to a Jazz Age ballroom. It's no wonder, then, that so many modern jazz practitioners view the big band format not as an anachronism to be scoffed at, but rather a sanctuary to be revered.




New Release Review - "The Mummy"

Hitchcock's Psycho is often cited as the first slasher movie but the tropes of that sub-genre go right back to the 1930s. The likes of Michael Myers and Jason Vorhees are essentially descendants of Kharis, the shambling antagonist of Universal's Mummy series of the '30s and '40s. In recent decades Universal has taken their Mummy property out of the horror genre and into the realm of blockbuster action, in a series of hit films starring Brendan Fraser and a flop headlined by the usually reliable Tom Cruise.










UPCOMING EVENTS
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 




LATEST COLUMNS
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 each week with this column. This week Lazlo takes a look at new releases by Teen Idle, Rich Lancia, Somebody Club, Suede Aces, and Exit Eleven. Plus a look back at "Songs for the Moon" by The Porchistas.



Rock On! This Week's Sound Bites... 05/02/2026

Due to a death in the family, the "Sound Bites" weekly column has ben postponed for this week. However, the listings of live music and entertainment are enclosed; we shall return on Thursday May 7 which happens to be the same day as the monthly "Rock On Radio" Happy Hour at the Nottingham Tavern located at 9 Mercer Street in Hamilton Square, NJ with music by Carmen Marranco.



Makin Waves Song of the Week: "Make It Happen" by Mike Chick

The Makin Waves Song of the Week is "Make It Happen" by Asbury Park Yawn Mower legend Mike Chick from "Congarts," his third solo album and second for Mint 400 Records.


* Events This Week in New Jersey

* This Week in Music

* This Week in Theatre

* Top 15 Most Read Stories
from the Past Week



DAILY EDITION

Here is a look at the articles published yesterday. The Daily Edition comes out Monday through Friday with a recap of articles published Friday through Sunday on Mondays.


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